Silicon Austria Labs

What Silicon Austria Labs does

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) is a non-university, for-profit Austrian research center founded in 2018 and majority-owned by the Republic of Austria, operating from three Austrian sites in Graz (headquarters and Validation Lab), Linz (chip design and EU Chips Design Platform activities), and Villach (SAL MicroFab cleanroom for micro/nano fabrication). The organization conducts applied research across the Electronics and Software-Based Systems (ESBS) value chain, with explicit capabilities in micro/nano technology, power electronics (including wide-bandgap SiC and GaN), sensor systems, wireless communications (5G/6G), heterogeneous integration, thin-film technologies, and—newly—industrial quantum hardware via the CHAMP-ION pilot line. SAL delivers three commercial offerings: cooperative joint research projects with industrial consortia, fee-for-service contract research, and open Project Calls inviting new partners; core technology assets include the SAL MicroFab cleanroom (Villach), the new Validation Lab (Graz, April 2025), and Europe's first installed ULVAC NLD-5700 TFLN etching system plus dual Evatec CLUSTERLINE 200 deposition systems.

The business model is primarily grant-driven. The majority of operating funds originate from EU framework programs—most notably the IPCEI ME/CT (Important Projects of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies)—along with national funding from FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), EFRE (European Regional Development Fund), Breitband Austria 2030, and direct base funding from the Republic of Austria. The remaining operations are commercial contract research, R&D services, and consortium project contributions from named industrial partners including AT&S, Infineon Technologies Austria, AVL List, Magna, and NXP Semiconductors. SAL does not publicly disclose pricing, and customer-facing outputs are research prototypes, validated processes, and technology transfer rather than commercial products.

SAL serves automotive & aerospace, semiconductor industry, energy generators & suppliers, medical technology, and machine & plant engineering segments. Key technical outcomes include the first European 8-inch thin-film lithium niobate wafer for integrated photonics, a 750V SiC MOSFET-based redundant EV power architecture (REDSEL project with Infineon and AVL), and the SEMIKRON Innovation Award for the Tiny Power Box power electronics project. The organization also operates the SAL Doctoral College and affiliated SAL Uni Labs and SAL Innovation Hubs for talent development and ecosystem intermediation.

Name

Silicon Austria Labs

Legal name

Silicon Austria Labs GmbH

Website

https://silicon-austria-labs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Silicon Austria Labs is a non-university Austrian research center majority-owned by the Republic of Austria, providing cooperative and contract R&D in electronic and software-based systems—including micro/nano electronics, photonics, power electronics, and quantum—to industrial partners such as Infineon, AT&S, AVL, and NXP across three Austrian sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. EU and National Research Funding: Majority of funding from EU-funded programs including IPCEI ME/CT (Important Projects of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies), FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), EFRE (European Regional Development Fund), and Breitband Austria 2030
2. Contract Research and R&D Services: Fee-for-service research conducted for industrial partners including contract research, characterization, measurements, testing, and manufacturing in micro/nano technology
3. Cooperative Research Projects: Joint development projects with industry partners where costs are shared and results benefit consortium members

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Silicon Austria Labs is an Austrian non-university applied research center that delivers contract research, cooperative research, and customized R&D services in electronic and software-based systems (ESBS). It operates advanced research infrastructure including the SAL MicroFab cleanroom in Villach for micro- and nano-fabrication and the Validation Lab in Graz for environmental electronics testing, serving industrial partners in automotive, semiconductor, energy, medical technology, and industrial automation.

Product overview

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) is a non-university research center focused on electronic and software-based systems (ESBS), operating facilities in Graz, Linz, and Villach, Austria. The organization provides R&D services, cooperative and contract research, and operates advanced research infrastructure including SAL MicroFab (cleanroom facility) and the Validation Lab. SAL's research portfolio spans multiple technology domains including sensor systems, power electronics, intelligent wireless systems (5G/6G), heterogeneous integration, microsystems, embedded systems, and RF systems. The center collaborates with industrial partners through project-based research and offers open Project Calls for new partnerships, along with the SAL Doctoral College for structured PhD programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• R&D Services Customized R&D service offering spanning design, simulation, characterization, measurements, testing, and manufacturing in micro- and nano-technology, available to industrial customers on a project basis.
• Contract Research Customized research services delivered to specific industrial customers for targeted technology development and problem-solving needs.
• Cooperative Research Collaborative research projects with industrial partners along the electronic and software-based systems value chain, sharing costs and results within the consortium.
• SAL MicroFab Research cleanroom facility in Villach equipped with advanced thin-film deposition and etching systems for micro- and nano-fabrication work performed for and with partners.
• SAL Validation Lab High-tech laboratory at the Graz site where electronic components and sensors are tested under environmental influences including temperature, vibrations, and humidity, available to industry partners.
• Project Calls Open calls through which new industrial and academic partners can apply to join specific research projects with defined topics, timelines, and consortium structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• First 8-inch thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) wafer processed for integrated photonics in Europe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• NXP SemiconductorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026FAMES pilot line participant advancing European semiconductor technology through RTO collaboration; co-organizer of IPCEI Day 2025 showcasing microelectronics contributions
• AT&S AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025Co-organizer of Austrian IPCEI Day 2025; collaborative development of advanced IC substrates and packaging technologies under EU-funded IPCEI ME/CT program; positioning as first European manufacturer for 2nm microchip packaging
• EuroCDPstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EU Chips Access & Innovation Workshop co-organizer with FAMES and AT-C3; contributing to European chip design platform development
• Infineon Technologies Austria AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024REDSEL project partner developing onboard power supply concepts for electric vehicles integrating high-voltage and low-voltage systems; co-location of UWB application laboratory at SAL Graz; joint quantum photonics research through CHAMP-ION
• AVL List GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024REDSEL project partner for electric vehicle electrical architecture research; IPCEI ME/CT collaborative participation; automotive powertrain testing and simulation expertise combined with SAL electronics research
• EvatecstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership expansion for thin-film processing; installation of second Evatec CLUSTERLINE 200 system enhancing advanced deposition capabilities for photonics and microelectronics applications
• ULVACstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Installation of first European ULVAC NLD-5700 TFLN etching system for thin-film lithium niobate processing, expanding advanced PIC 200mm batch processing capabilities
• MagnacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 20235GEARING project consortium partner developing 5G campus network guidelines for manufacturing industry; joint work on 5G deployment for local and rural regions
• LIWEST Kabelmedien GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 20235GEARING consortium partner providing cable media infrastructure and connectivity solutions for broadband deployment projects
• FH Kärnten (CUAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ROSE project partner developing soft robotic grippers with flexible sensors; ADMiRE Lab collaboration for rehabilitation and medical robotics; expertise sharing between university of applied sciences and research center
• Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Smart Lightweight 4.1 project lead for EFRE-funded research on inkjet-printed sensors for composites and sustainable materials

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IMEC: Belgium-based leading semiconductor and nanoelectronics R&D center with deep capabilities in advanced packaging, photonics, and heterogeneous integration — directly comparable to SAL in micro/nano technology focus and contract-research model serving global industrial partners.
• CSEM: Swiss R&D center with applied research across microelectronics, MEMS, photonics, and embedded systems; similar mid-sized public-private research model serving industrial customers with contract and cooperative research.
• CEA-Leti: France's primary micro/nano technologies R&D center operated by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission; comparable to SAL in mission, semiconductor/photonics focus, and government-linked ownership structure.
• TNO: Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research — Dutch publicly-funded applied research organization covering semiconductor, embedded systems, and wireless communications with a similar national-lab operating model.
• IHP – Innovations for High Performance Microelectronics: German Leibniz institute for silicon-based high-frequency and hetero-integration technologies; comparable to SAL in being a publicly-owned European R&D center focused on semiconductor process and integration capabilities.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's publicly-owned applied research organization with electronics, sensors, and microelectronics research under government ownership — closely analogous to SAL in funding mix and industrial R&D services mandate.
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Germany's largest applied research organization operating ~76 institutes with public-private funding and contract research across microelectronics, sensors, power electronics, and communications — the closest structural analog to SAL across operating model, funding mix, and technology breadth.

Regional players

• ams-OSRAM: Austrian-headquartered semiconductor company with strong sensor and photonics portfolios; comparable geographic anchor in Austria's semiconductor ecosystem and overlap with SAL's sensor and photonics research, though operating as a commercial manufacturer rather than an RTO.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Bosch Engineering (Research & Advanced Engineering): Bosch's corporate research arm operating across automotive electronics, MEMS sensors, power electronics and embedded systems — overlapping with SAL's automotive, sensor and power-electronics research areas, but as a captive industrial research function.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer IZM: Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration specializing in electronics packaging, heterogeneous integration, and microsystem reliability — overlapping directly with SAL's heterogeneous integration and microsystems research areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrhzkH7Vx7x3m4__hjkNvJg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11863110
• Instagraminstagram.com/siliconaustrialabs

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silicon Austria Labs