International companies in the field of electronics-based systems (EBS) were aware early on of Austria’s attractiveness as a business location. As early as 1983, American Microsystems International Inc., a company specializing in the manufacture of application-specific integrated circuits, established operations in Austria. Other large multinational companies and flagship companies such as Infineon, Intel, Lam Research and NXP followed suit. However, not only international companies, but also Austrian companies such as AT&S, EV Group and IMS Nanofabrication, which operate very successfully globally from their Austrian headquarters, are relying on Austria as a business location.
Infineon, one of the world’s leading suppliers of semiconductor solutions, employs a workforce of around 5,500 people from 79 nations at several locations in Austria, of whom 2,400 are involved in research and development. In the 2022 fiscal year, the Austrian subsidiary generated sales of around EUR 5.2 billion and acts as a global competence center for new semiconductor materials within the group. In recent years, Infineon has invested EUR 1.6 billion in a new, state-of-the-art chip factory in Villach. The factory, which opened in 2021, is considered one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. The semiconductor manufacturer thus implemented one of Europe’s largest single investment projects in the field of microelectronics.
In recent years, Dutch chip producer NXP Semiconductors has invested around 67 million euros in its facility in Gratkorn, Styria, which focuses on highly secure data processing, sensor technologies and electrification solutions. Gratkorn near Graz is also home to the company’s global competence center for cybersecurity and post-quantum cryptography. NXP places particular emphasis on cooperation between the research community and educational institutions. Accordingly, in November 2023, the NXP Foundation provided Graz University of Technology with $450,000 for scholarships and laboratory equipment for the Institute for Communication Networks and Satellite Communications. The donation is intended to attract more young talent to STEM professions.
Founded in 1987, Austrian company AT&S, a leading supplier of high-quality printed circuit boards and IC substrates, is currently investing heavily at its headquarters in Leoben, Styria. A unique European research and development center with serial 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 create around 700 new jobs. The company’s technologies can be found in all areas of life, from mobile phones, computers, vehicles, industrial robots and medical technology to aircraft and satellites. An Austrian company that is less well known outside the industry is IMS Nanofabrication, based in Brunn am Gebirge, Lower Austria. Founded in 1985 thanks to venture capital, the company is the international technology leader in electron multi-beam mask writers, with an estimated market share of 95%. These mask writers in turn enable the production of photomasks, i.e. a type of stencil for computer chips. Customers include the largest chip producers in the world.
The EV Group (EVG), whose headquarters and production operations are located in St. Florian am Inn, Upper Austria, is another important supplier to the global semiconductor industry. Founded in 1980, the mechanical engineering company with 1,300 employees manufactures precision wafer bonding equipment and has an export share of 98%. The EV Group’s deep roots in university research and its considerable investments in the development of new technologies are reasons for the great success of the company, which is still family-owned. At the end of November 2023, EVG announced the completion of construction work on the next expansion phase of the company’s headquarters. The new production facility, Manufacturing V, which has now opened and serves as the manufacturing department for EVG equipment components, offers a significant increase in production and storage space. The opening of Manufacturing V is the latest step in a series of expansion phases and investments supported by continued strong demand for EVG’s hybrid bonding and other process solutions and process development services. These support the rapidly growing market for advanced packaging and 3D/heterogeneous integration.
