AT&S plans to invest up to 120 million euros in a technology upgrade over a period of four years. By 2023, 200 additional jobs are to be created in Leoben.
AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer and COO Heinz Moitzi presented the investment program at a joint press conference with Federal Minister for Digitization and Business Location Margarete Schramböck, Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer and Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, State Councillor for Economic Affairs: Over a period of four years, up to 120 million euros are to be invested at the Leoben-Hinterberg site, around 20 million of which in R&D and around 100 million euros in machinery and processes. Up to 25 percent of the investments will be funded as part of the EU program "IPCEI on Microelectronics". In a first step, around 44 million euros will be invested by February 2021. "IC substrates have been the core element of our corporate strategy for years," says AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. "IC substrates are connecting elements between the printed circuit board and the chip; they 'translate' the nano-structures of the chip to the micrometer structures of a printed circuit board." The innovative technologies in the cores produced in Leoben, together with other innovations at our site in Chongqing, enable a leap in performance in processor systems. "Among other things, the energy consumption in the package can be reduced and the speed of data transmission massively increased," says AT&S COO Heinz Moitzi. Innovations like these are what make many technical revolutions and digitalization possible in the first place. They are also the basis for achieving high speeds in processors (keyword 5G).
The investment will enable the production capacity of so-called IC cores to be increased by 50 percent. Currently, 225,000 panels are produced per year in Leoben Hinterberg, which corresponds to an area of 56,000m2 or almost eight soccer pitches. After the technology upgrade, almost 340,000 panels can be produced. "Neither our plants in China nor the sites in Austria would exist if our experts didn't work together perfectly across borders and pool their expertise," says CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. "We use the synergies. Many European companies in our industry have lost their importance, whereas we are not only one of the global market leaders in the high-end PCB industry, but we are also continuing to grow."
The technology upgrade is also part of the IPCEI on Microelectronics project initiated by the EU, which was approved by the Austrian Council of Ministers on July 8. AT&S is one of three companies in Austria that can expect to receive additional funding under the IPCEI microelectronics project from the fall. IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) strengthens and enables support for investments in strategically important key technologies in the EU in the face of global competition. A total of 29 companies in Europe are being supported with a total of 150 million euros.
"AT&S's investment boost is an important signal that innovation cannot be stopped despite the crisis," says Federal Minister Margarete Schramböck. "The COVID-19 pandemic is currently showing us how important digitalization is in all areas of life, from industry and business to education. The fact that there is a domestic company that is working with renowned international partner companies to drive digitalization forward shows how much know-how there is in Austria."
"With a research and development rate of 4.91%, Styria is at the forefront of Europe. The future of our economy lies in innovation and technological progress. I am proud that we have internationally active companies like AT&S, which are investing even in times like these," says Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer. "Because what we need above all now is confidence - so that our economy can get back on track as quickly as possible and as many jobs as possible are secured."
"AT&S is an important leading Styrian company whose products and research activities make a significant contribution to making Styria the number one innovation and research country in Austria and one of the top countries in Europe. The positive development of the strong field of microelectronics in the south of Austria is also inextricably linked with AT&S. The current investment is a project for the future which, especially in the current situation, provides a sense of optimism. I would like to thank Andreas Gerstenmayer and the entire AT&S team for this strong commitment to Styria as a business location," said Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs.
