Customized chip solutions

In the search for a competitive IC (Integrated Circuit) solution, chip designers are always coming up against the boundaries of what is technically feasible. Together with their customers, Pit Ritter and the team in the Smart Sensing and Electronics division are pushing those boundaries to create innovative chip solutions. As a Business Developer, he acts as an interface between companies and researchers in chip development. He lists four good reasons for collaborating with Fraunhofer IIS.

Pooled expertise and resources for chip design

Companies that collaborate with Fraunhofer IIS on their chip solutions have a partner with comprehensive expertise and resources at their side. They can outsource activities relating to IC design, validation, and characterization to the experts at Fraunhofer IIS.

This is particularly appealing for small and medium-sized companies, primarily in the field of system integration. But start-ups and large corporations are also well-advised to partner with Fraunhofer IIS. 

Innovative solutions with a unique selling point

Fraunhofer IIS is the right place to go if companies can’t find a chip solution for their desired application on the market, particularly when the project involves research aspects that need to be explored. By working with Fraunhofer IIS, companies can have such a customized chip solution developed and thus gain a competitive advantage. 

Risk assessment thanks to various scenarios

Custom requirements profiles are often associated with high technical and financial risks. By working together with Fraunhofer IIS, companies can minimize those risks. 

There are two ways to work with Fraunhofer. One is to collaborate on chip development as part of a publicly funded project. This is particularly useful if the solution and its implementation are associated with very big technical and financial risks. 

Another option for collaborating with Fraunhofer is through a bilateral industry project. The advantage of this approach is that the chip solution developed in the project is tailored specifically to the customer’s application and needs. In addition, the company can obtain an exclusive right to use the solution and thus gain a competitive advantage.

Fraunhofer IIS as a one-stop shop

Fraunhofer IIS stands out from industrial IC service providers in that companies can approach the team with an initial idea or a rough concept. The development engineers then work out a solution, assess its feasibility, and draw up the optimum business case. 

It’s very important that the experts gain an early insight into the overall system so they can identify potential disruptive factors and ensure the chip is optimally aligned with the environmental conditions. The latter include the likes of temperature influences, interfering magnetic fields, and interference signals from other electronic components.

Fraunhofer IIS has many years of in-house IC design expertise and resources, but is also part of a sustainable partner network in the chip ecosystem, along with semiconductor manufacturers as well as test and assembly houses. The Bavarian Chip-Design-Center (BCDC), whose office is located at Fraunhofer IIS, serves as the first point of contact for all interested companies. It has set itself the goal of further expanding chip design capabilities in Bavaria and providing companies, especially start-ups and SMEs, with easier access to chip design and the necessary supply chains. This covers the entire value chain along the development process, enabling Fraunhofer IIS to act as a central partner for the customer.