Austrian microelectronics firm AT&S secures €250m funding from European Investment Bank

Austrian microelectronics firm AT&S secures €250m funding from European Investment Bank ©AT&S

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a €250 million loan to Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik (AT&S), a microelectronics specialist. The loan will support AT&S’s research and development activities and the construction of a new research center in Leoben. AT&S is a leading producer of high-end printed circuit boards and integrated circuit substrates in Europe. The new center in Leoben will help the European Union to achieve digital autonomy, as well as strengthen its production capabilities for digital technology.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 9-May-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, is granting a €250 million loan to the microelectronics specialist AT&S (Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG), listed on the Vienna stock exchange. The loan will support the company’s research and development activities and help finance the construction of a new research centre at its headquarters in Leoben.

AT&S is a leading manufacturer of high-end printed circuit boards and integrated circuit substrates, the latter being essential components of modern microchips. The company is the only European player in an industry dominated by Asian firms. IC substrates connect the tiny inputs and outputs of powerful microchips to the larger structures of printed circuit boards, enabling data transfer, analysis and storage in a wide range of applications, including smartphones, PCs, 5G networks, supercomputers, 3D scanners, servers, AI and more.

The loan from the EIB will enable AT&S to further enhance its R&D capabilities and build a new centre of expertise in Leoben, which will contribute to the EU’s goal of achieving digital autonomy, a priority under the European Chips Act. The initiative aims to create a chip ecosystem to ensure Europe’s security of supply in microchips and strengthen its digital technology production capabilities.

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle, who oversees financing in Germany, says: “We are proud to support AT&S, a highly innovative company that is key to achieving digital autonomy in Europe. The Leoben research centre, in collaboration with universities and research institutions, will serve to develop knowledge within the industry.”

According to AT&S Chief Executive Officer Andreas Gerstenmayer, “AT&S’s new R&D centre will make a significant contribution to Europe’s competitiveness in the field of microelectronics, in line with the European Chips Act. This centre of expertise for IC substrates and microelectronics packaging being built in Austria is the only one of its kind in Europe. This investment will serve AT&S customers in the high-end semiconductor sector as well as international research institutions. It will be a major regional development project and also create many appealing jobs.”

Background information

The EIB’s key priorities are climate and the environment, development, innovation and skills, small and medium-sized businesses, infrastructure and cohesion. It works closely with other EU institutions to foster European integration, promote the development of the European Union and support EU policies in more than 140 countries worldwide.

AT&S — Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG is a leading global manufacturer of high-end printed circuit boards and IC substrates. It industrialises cutting-edge technology for its core business segments (Mobile Devices & Substrates, and Automotive, Industrial and Medical). AT&S has a global presence with production sites in Austria (Leoben and Fehring) and plants in India (Nanjangud), China (Shanghai and Chongqing) and South Korea (Ansan, near Seoul). A new high-end production facility for IC substrates is currently being built in Kulim, Malaysia. Meanwhile, a European centre of expertise with integrated series production for IC substrate technology is being built in Leoben. The company employs around 15 000 people.

Media contact:

Donata Riedel
d.riedel@eib.org
+352 4379 – 86192

Press Office
press@eib.org
+352 4379 – 21000

SOURCE: European Investment Bank