NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, has opened a new Research and Development centre in Caen, France. The company has invested over €100 M in the last year, from its existing R&D budget, in a new building and around 800 engineers and researchers. This investment aims at enhancing the Caen facility to develop innovations that will see NXP technology improve products.
The teams at the new centre are developing ground-breaking technologies for four of the company’s focus areas (mobile and personal, home, multimarket semiconductors and identification). Some of the research and development areas include RF technologies, Silicon tuners, system-in-package process technologies as well as other innovative semiconductor solutions such as Near Field Communications (NFC).
In addition to the NXP activities at the Caen facility, the R&D centre houses a joint research institute with CNRS, known as the Institute for System Testing (ISyTest). The goal of this institute is to develop innovative testing methods and techniques to improve the level of quality of NXP’s increasingly complex system solutions.
The opening of the Caen facility follows the recent announcement of a €42 M investment in innovation and manufacturing activities in Vienna, Austria. Frans van Houten, president and chief executive officer, NXP Semiconductors, commented on both initiatives, saying, “It demonstrates the importance of Europe in our annual €1 B R&D program and how we use this investment in innovation to maintain leadership in the high-growth areas where we focus. Our 6000 strong European R&D team consistently delivers the technologies that enable our customers to bring competitive and differentiating products to market.”