Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme

What Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme does

The Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme (Institute of Microelectronic Systems) is an academic research institute within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. It conducts research and teaching in microelectronics and technical computer science, spanning the conception, design, and evaluation of architectures and integrated mixed-signal and digital circuits (microchips), as well as methods and tools for computer-aided design (Electronic Design Automation, EDA). The institute is organized into three groups: Architectures and Systems (led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Blume), Mixed-Signal Circuits (led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Wicht), and the RESRI working group on Reliability, Risk Analysis and Simulation (led by Apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl-Phys. Kirsten Weide-Zaage).

The institute's research output is anchored in proprietary technology assets developed over years of work, including a custom VPRO vector processor for parallel signal processing and computer vision, an in-house VLIW-SIMD signal processor for hearing aid applications, fault-tolerant FPGA-based soft-core processor systems for automotive, aerospace, and industrial use, monolithic GaN-on-SOI power management ICs up to 650V, and Random Value Arithmetic methods for statistical circuit analysis. Application domains span hearing aids, automotive electronics, aerospace, power electronics for data centers, and computer vision.

As a public university institute, the entity does not sell commercial products or services. It is funded through Leibniz Universität Hannover's institutional budget and competitive public research grants, including involvement in the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4All under the German Excellence Initiative. It maintains core partnerships with imec (GaN-on-SOI process access), the Cadence Academic Network (EDA tooling), and Cadence Tensilica (processor IP evaluation), and distributes research outputs through publications, open-source projects, and academic-industry collaboration.

Name

Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme

Legal name

Leibniz Universität Hannover

Website

https://ims.uni-hannover.de

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme is an academic research institute at Leibniz Universität Hannover covering microelectronics, mixed-signal/digital IC design, processor architectures, and EDA. It serves university students, doctoral researchers, and industry partners through funded research, proprietary processor and power IC developments, and collaborations such as imec, Cadence, and Hearing4All.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Electronic Computers (3571), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutes of Technology (IoT / Technical Universities) (EDAHAEAC), Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI), Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Microelectronics research
• Integrated circuit design
• Mixed-signal circuits
• Processor architectures
• Electronic design automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Revenue model

1. University/Government Research Funding: Funded by Leibniz University Hannover and government research grants for academic research and education in microelectronics

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institut Für Mikroelektronische Systeme is an academic research department at Leibniz Universität Hannover conducting research and teaching in microelectronics and technical computer science. It operates three research groups covering processor and system architectures, mixed-signal circuit design, and reliability of microelectronic systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Two Best Paper Awards at APEC 2026 international conference
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Cadence Academic NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership in Cadence Academic Network provides access to industry-standard electronic design automation (EDA) tools for research and education in chip design and microelectronics.
• Cluster of Excellence Hearing4AllflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the German Excellence Initiative research cluster focused on hearing research, hearing aids, and audio signal processing technologies.
• imeccoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for GaN-on-SOI technology development - designs are created in the 650V GaN-on-SOI technology developed by imec.
• Tensilica (Cadence)coreTechnology or IntegrationTensilica Day events and evaluation of Cadence Tensilica processor architectures for various applications including hearing aids and powerline communication.
• ZukunftsmobilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project activity focused on future mobility research and development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• imec: imec is a core research partner to IMS Hannover (GaN-on-SOI co-development) and the dominant European independent semiconductor R&D center. It serves a similar research-and-collaboration function but at vastly greater scale and with broader scope across fabrication and design.
• Synopsys: Synopsys is the other dominant EDA vendor with comparable industry-academic engagement models; relevant as a competitor/partner for any EDA-method research originating from IMS Hannover.
• Fraunhofer IIS / EAS: Fraunhofer institutes conduct applied microelectronics research in Germany with closer industrial linkages; comparable research portfolio but with explicit applied/commercial orientation, contrasting with IMS Hannover's academic-only model.

Others

• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence is the EDA vendor partner via the Cadence Academic Network and Tensilica processor evaluations; not a direct competitor but the principal commercial entity that could commercialize methods (e.g., Random Value Arithmetic) developed at IMS Hannover.

Direct peers

• TU München — Chair of Integrated Systems: TUM's integrated systems group covers analog/mixed-signal IC design and architectures in a leading German technical university, making it a strong structural peer for faculty recruitment, student pipeline, and collaborative research.
• EPFL — Integrated Actuators Laboratory / Microelectronics: EPFL conducts parallel research in analog/mixed-signal ICs, power management, and embedded architectures in a leading European technical university setting — a directly comparable peer in scope and academic operating model.
• TU Dresden — Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed): A fellow TU9 German university research center focused on advancing micro- and nanoelectronics, including novel architectures, circuit design, and EDA — directly comparable in mission, funding model, and technical scope to IMS Hannover.
• RWTH Aachen — Institute of Electrical Engineering / Chair of Microelectronics: RWTH Aachen's microelectronics institute conducts parallel research in analog/mixed-signal IC design, power electronics, and embedded systems, and shares the same TU9/German Excellence ecosystem as IMS Hannover.
• ETH Zürich — Integrated Systems Laboratory: ETH Zürich's IIS conducts world-class research in mixed-signal IC design, power management, and processor architectures — comparable in research excellence and a benchmark for IMS Hannover's international visibility.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) — Institute of Micro- and Nanoelectronic Systems: KIT's microelectronics institute focuses on integrated circuit design, power electronics, and EDA — a closely matching research portfolio and another TU9 counterpart to IMS Hannover.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-f%C3%BCr-mikroelektronische-systeme

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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