Lam Research opens chip centre of excellence in Austria

At the new “Panel Centre of Excellence” in Salzburg, the US-based company is researching technology to speed up AI chip production. Lam’s investment sends a strong signal regarding Austria’s status as an international hub for the semiconductor industry. 

On 20 May 2026, the California-based company Lam Research CorporationLam Research Corporation () officially opened its new research and production facility in Salzburg. The process laboratory focuses on so-called panel-level processing – a technologically promising method of semiconductor manufacturing. In this process, chips are no longer processed on traditional round silicon wafers, but on large rectangular panels. These allow for more efficient use of space and thus more cost-effective production as demand for high-performance chips rises.  

The “Centre of Excellence” in Salzburg is Lam’s first research and development site specialising in the wet chemical processing of panel structures. It forms part of Lam’s global laboratory network and serves as a platform for application-oriented research, process development and customer collaboration. The aim is to work with partners to develop, test and bring new packaging solutions to market more quickly. 

Panel technology accelerates AI chip production

The site builds on the expertise of the Salzburg-based company Semsysco, which was founded in 2012 and acquired by Lam Research in 2022. Through this acquisition, the group expanded its capabilities in the field of advanced packaging and integrated European research capacities into its global network.  

The growing demand for applications such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and heterogeneous integration is driving the development of ever larger and more complex chip packages. At the same time, traditional manufacturing approaches based on round wafers with diameters of up to 300 millimetres are increasingly reaching their limits. Panel-level packaging is therefore regarded across the industry as a promising approach to scaling up production and reducing material waste. Rectangular panels offer higher area utilisation compared to round wafers, thereby enabling a greater number of chips per processing step. 

With the new centre of excellence, Lam Research aims to drive the development of this technology in a targeted manner. The centre brings together research, infrastructure and engineering expertise to shorten development cycles and reduce risks on the path to industrial mass production.

Faster innovation at the high-tech site

Aaron Fellis, Corporate Vice President at Lam Research, emphasises: “The expansion of our Salzburg site reflects a long-term investment in advanced packaging.” The centre of excellence strengthens Salzburg’s role within Lam’s global innovation network and, through closer collaboration with customers and partners, helps to increase velocity in R&D. “Connecting specialized local expertise with Lam’s global engineering and collaboration network enables faster innovation.”

In addition to the new site in Salzburg, Lam Research has been operating a key development and production site in Villach, Austriasite in Villach, Austria (), since 1992, which serves as a global centre of excellence for cleaning processes in semiconductor manufacturing. Globally, Lam ResearchLam Research () generated a turnover of US$ 20.6 billion last year. 

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