It's a wrap! NXP Austria successfully completes its first IPCEI engagement – The SEAMAL IPCEI Project

For the last four years, engaged engineers from NXP Austria have been advancing a highly energy-efficient Secure Element (SE) and Analog Virtual Testing (AVT) as part of the Important Projects of Common European Interest on Microelectronics (IPCEI ME). Now, the new technologies, which will form the basis for enhanced IC performance and efficient testing, have matured. NXP has thus successfully completed the SEAMAL IPCEI Project.?

The IPCEI ME program was conceived to support the development of strategically important technologies, strengthening the semiconductor industry in Europe. IPCEI ME was the first funding program with significant funding supporting 32 European countries and over 43 related sub-projects for Microelectronics in Europe. With innovative developments and contributions to “Technology Field 1” (TF1), NXP in Austria successfully engaged in the IPCEI ME with two major topics:?

The first major achievement was the development of an automotive-qualified Secure Element with NFC and wired interfaces. This breakthrough played a pivotal role in transforming Europe's secure digital technology landscape. Enhanced chip performance and efficiency were achieved through the implementation of advanced virtual testing for ICs.?

In addition, bright minds at NXP in Austria were innovating the Analog Virtual Testing (AVT) environment. Technical teams worked on a virtual testing environment to simulate the Device under Test (DUT) with real number models together with the ATE (Advantest). This process helps engineers to analyze the inside of chips faster and more efficiently even before the silicon is produced.?

To materialize the research efforts made in IPCEI, NXP Austria is intensifying its collaborations with partners, conferences and universities. To this end, a series of conferences have been attended (e.g. EBSCON, ESBS Austria Conference and Austro Chip) to share the latest innovations deriving from IPCEI on Microelectronics, exchange know-how and pave the way for new collaborations.?

The successful completion of the SEAMAL IPCEI project was only possible through the close collaboration between enthusiastic engineers and NXP's Public Cooperative Programs (PCP) division. By streamlining operational, financial, and legal matters, technical engineers were free to focus on groundbreaking R&D developments.?

Having successfully reached an important milestone for NXP in Austria with the completion of IPCEI ME, the company is now focusing on the next innovation steps in building a strong European microelectronics ecosystem with IPCEI M/CT.?