One of the world’s ten largest chip manufacturing companies plans to start cooperation with Bulgarian scientific institutions for development and training of highly qualified personnel. Infineon Technologies Austria CEO Sabine Herlichka presented the project during a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stojanov. The international company is visiting Bulgaria with the aim of broader cooperation with the Bulgarian academic community and business in the field of microelectronics, and human resource development in this area.
‘Europe has the potential to become one of the leaders in high-tech sectors, such as microelectronics, and our country can play an important role in this process,’ Minister Nikola Stojanov said. He said this would improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the continent and was a particularly important step for the Union’s digital and green transition. ‘Many international companies are increasing their interest in Bulgaria because of the Bulgarian talents and expert potential we have, especially in the IT sector,’ the Minister of Economy further said. He added that the number of IT specialists in Bulgaria increases annually and our country is a leader in Europe in the share of women in this sector.
The company stressed that their main goal is to develop the microelectronic system and human resources at the European Union level through development and training, with universities and businesses playing an active role. ‘European policy is aimed at strengthening the independence of the economy in terms of chip production, and to achieve this we need to mobilise the potential of all EU Member States,’ explained Sabine Herlichka. She stressed that 60,000 people are employed in the microelectronics sector in Bulgaria, which is an impressive number and a sign of the expert potential the country has. She made the analogy that in Austria, in the whole field of electronics, 70,000 people work.
Such companies play a key role in the European Union’s strategy to accelerate the development of microelectronics, formulated in the so-called Chips Act adopted by the European Union. By 2030, a total of EUR 43 billion should be invested within the EU, thus strengthening Europe’s autonomy and independence in this area.
Infineon Technologies Asia is one of the ten largest chip manufacturing companies in the world. It has a turnover of nearly EUR 5.2 billion and is one of the world’s top investors in research. In 2021 alone, the company is investing EUR 516 million in research and development. It has 56 research and 20 production centres on three continents. The company employs 50,280 people from 117 nationalities and their products are used throughout the electricity supply chain and in all areas of engineering.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Austria H.E. Andrea Ikić-Böhm, the Commercial Counsellor at the Austrian Embassy Philippe Kupfer and the Bulgarian Trade Representative at the Office for Trade and Economic Affairs in Vienna Emiliyan Abadzhiev.
