New high-tech chip factory in Villach © Infineon Austria
- Research & development
- News
International flagship companies are committed to the Austrian business location
13. December 2023International companies in the field of electronic based systems (EBS) were aware of the attractiveness of Austria as a business location very early on. Back in 1983, American Microsystems International Inc., a company specialising in the production of application-specific integrated circuits, already set up business operations in Austria. Other large multinationals and flagship companies such as Infineon, Intel, Lam Research and NXP followed suit. However, not only international companies but Austrian firms such as AT&S, EV Group und IMS Nanofabrication, which operate very successfully across the globe from their Austrian headquarters, also rely on Austria as a business location.
Infineon, one of the world’s leading suppliers of semiconductor solutions, employs a workforce of about 5,500 people from 79 nations at several facilities in Austria, of whom 2,400 are involved in research and development. In the 2022 fiscal year, the Austrian subsidiary generated revenue of approx. € 5.2 billion and serves as the global competence centre for new semiconductor materials within the Group. In recent years Infineon has invested € 1.6 billion in a new high-tech chip plant located in Villach. Opened in 2021, the factory is considered one of the most advanced of its kind anywhere in the world. The semiconductor manufacturer thus implemented one of Europe’s largest single investment projects in the field of microelectronics.
Over the past few years, the Dutch chip producer NXP Semiconductors has invested about € 67 million at its facility in Gratkorn, Styria, which focuses on highly secure data processing, sensor technologies and electrification solutions. Gratkorn near the city of Graz is also home to the company’s global competence centre for cybersecurity and post quantum cryptography. NXP attaches particular importance to the cooperation between the research community and educational institutions. Accordingly, the NXP Foundation made $ 450,000 available to the Graz University of Technology in November 2023 for scholarships and laboratory equipment for the Institute of Communication Networks and Satellite Communications. The donation is designed to attract more young talents to MINT professions.
Founded in 1987, the Austrian company AT&S, a leading supplier of high-end printed circuit boards and IC substrates, is currently making massive investments at its headquarters in Leoben, Styria. A unique European research and development centre featuring series production of IC substrate technologies is being built in Leoben. More than 1,500 people work at the facility, with the new plant expected to add about 700 new jobs. The company’s technologies are found in all walks of life, from mobile phones, computers, vehicles, industrial robots and medical technology to aircraft and satellites. An Austrian company which is not well-known outside of the industry is IMS Nanofabrication headquartered in Brunn am Gebirge, Lower Austria. Founded thanks to venture capital in 1985, the firm is an international technology leader for electron multi-beam mask writers with an estimated market share of 95%. In turn, these mask writers enable the production of photo masks i.e., a kind of stencil for computer chips. The biggest chip producers in the world are among its customers.
The EV Group (EVG) whose main office and production operations are located in St. Florian am Inn, Upper Austria, is another important supplier to the global semiconductor industry. Established in 1980, the mechanical engineering company with 1,300 employees manufactures precision wafer bonding equipment and has an export ratio of 98%. The fact that the EV Group is deeply rooted in university research and makes substantial investments in the development of new technologies are among the reasons for the great success of the company, which is still in family hands. At the end of November 2023, EVG announced the completion of construction work for the next expansion phase of corporate headquarters. The new Manufacturing V facility which is now open and serves as the manufacturing department for EVG equipment components, provides a significant increase in production floor and warehouse space. The opening of Manufacturing V represents the latest in a series of expansion phases and investments driven by ongoing strong demand for EVG’s hybrid bonding and other process solutions and process development services. They support the rapidly growing advanced packaging and 3D/heterogeneous integration market.
These are only a few of the companies which make Austria a leading microelectronics business location.
https://investinaustria.at/en/industries-functions/industry/electronic-based-systems/
