NXP opens $141M France R&D center

By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 10/5/2007

To develop innovations for digital TVs, mobile phones and other consumer products, NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, today opened a new R&D center in Caen, France.

NXP said it has invested more than $141.4 million (100 million Euros) from its existing R&D budget in the new building that employs approximately 800 engineers and researchers.

Frans van Houten, president and CEO of NXP reminded that this opening follows the recent announcement of a $59.4 million (42 million Euro) investment in innovation and manufacturing activities in Vienna and demonstrates the importance of Europe in the company’s annual $1.4 billion (1 billion Euro) R&D program.

NXP now touts a European R&D team that is 6,000 members strong.

Engineers are Caen created the recently unveiled HDMI 1.3 receiver chip which was designed to improve the audio and video performances and lower the cost of high-definition audio/video receivers.

The teams at the Caen R&D center are developing technologies for four of NXP’s focus areas: mobile and personal, home, multimarket semiconductors and identification with some of the R&D development areas including RF technologies, silicon tuners, system-in-package process technologies as well as other semiconductors technologies such as near field communication.

In addition to the NXP activities, the Caen R&D center houses the Institute for System Testing (ISyTest), a joint research institute with the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research or CNRS), with the goal to develop testing methods and techniques to improve the quality of NXP’s system solutions.

Henri-Alain Rault, president of NXP France said in a statement, “Caen has always been the ideal location for our R&D activities: it boasts a strong entrepreneurial culture and commitment from the public authorities, as well as a solid ecosystem formed by research laboratories, regional Pôles de Compétitivité, engineering schools and technical expertise.”

A Pôle de Compétitivité is a consortium of companies, research centers and training organizations partnering in a specific region to develop innovating projects for targeted markets, the company noted.

NXP has had a 50-year presence in Caen, and the new R&D center is located on the new EffiScience Technological Campus.

Last week, NXP and assembly and test giant Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. have completed their assembly and test joint venture in Suzhou, China, which is named ASEN.