Infineon Expands China Operations and Sets Up New IC Design Center in Xi'an
XIAN, China—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 15, 2004—
Infineon Technologies (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today announced
the establishment of its latest IC Design Center and new subsidiary -
Infineon Technologies Xi'an Co., Ltd - in Xi'an, China. This
represents another move of the company's steady business expansion and
long-term presence in the Chinese market. Strategically located at
Xi'an High-Tech Park, the new IC Design Center plays a vital role for
integrated circuit design for all of Infineon's business groups, with
the primary focus on developing innovative applications for
communications as well as for automotive and industrial electronics.
The new IC Design Center will enable Infineon to better serve the
customers' needs and to harness the R&D talents in Western China to
foster greater technology innovation.
"The opening of our Xi'an center is a testimony of our continued
investment and long-term commitment to our China operation. In line
with our China strategy, we are intensifying our investments and
technology development capabilities in Western China," explained Loh
Kin Wah, President of Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Ltd and
Chairman of Infineon Technologies China Co., Ltd., "Infineon will tap
on the conducive environment, excellent infrastructure as well as the
ecosystem of high-tech companies in the Park to strengthen our
competitive edge."
Headed by Jean-Loup Leclere, General Manager of Infineon
Technologies Xi'an Co Ltd, more than 1,000 employees are expected to
join the Xi'an R&D Center by 2007, which will make it one of the
largest IC design centers in Asia. This is in keeping with the overall
expansion plan to increase the company's headcount to more than 3,000,
in order to attain the ambitious goal of being among the top four
semiconductor companies in China in the next four years.
"China is a dynamic market full of business opportunities and
excellent R&D talents. We believe that our Xi'an IC Design Center will
be one of the company's major driving forces for our future technology
development." said Dr. Werner Mohr, Senior Vice President Corporate
Logic, at Infineon Technologies.
Headquartered in Shanghai, Infineon Technologies China has already
set up full operational, production and R&D competencies. Its presence
in Xi'an and the following startup of its Xi'an IC Design Center will
be of long-term strategic significance for strengthening the company's
entire value chain and the talent pool and reserve in China. Infineon
last year announced plans to invest more than US $ 1.2 billion in
China within the next years.
To further foster local talents, Infineon is co-operating closely
with two universities in Xi'an. Together with Xidian University the
company will collaborate to develop a National IC Talent Incubation
Base. Scholarships and training laboratories will also be set up by
Infineon and Xi'an Jiaotong University and Xidian University.
Infineon in China
Infineon Technologies (China) Co Ltd is headquartered in Shanghai
and has over 800 employees. With offices in six major cities, Infineon
has established a full value chain in China and is well-positioned to
deliver a wide range of semiconductor products and solutions to all
local and global customers from here. In addition, it also has a sales
and marketing support centre in Beijing, backend manufacturing plant
for logic products in Wuxi, IC Design Centre in Xi'an, as well as
Centres of Competence for chipcard and secure mobile solutions in
Shanghai.
Strategic collaboration with local partners for both frontend and
backend production is one of the key cornerstones of Infineon's
expansion strategy in China. In March 2003, Infineon has expanded its
successful production cooperation for standardmemory chips (DRAMs)
with SMIC, Shanghai. In July 2003, Infineon Technologies Suzhou Co.
Ltd., was set up as its latest joint venture with China-Singapore
Suzhou Industrial Park Venture Co. Ltd.
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor
and system solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, for
applications in the wired communications markets, secure mobile
solutions as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon
operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from
Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In fiscal year 2003 (ending
September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.15 billion with about
32,300 employees world- wide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange
(ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at
www.infineon.com.
This news release is available online at
http://www.infineon.com/news/
General video material can be downloaded from
www.thenewsmarket.com.
Contact:
Infineon Technologies
Corporate Communications
Worldwide Headquarters
Guenter Gaugler, +49 89 234 28481 / 28482
guenter.gaugler@infineon.com
or
U.S.A.
Christoph Liedtke
Phone / Fax: +1 408 501 6790 / 2424
christoph.liedtke@infineon.com
or
Asia
Kaye Lim
Phone / Fax: +65 6840 0689 / 0073
kaye.lim@infineon.com
or
Japan
Hirotaka Shiroguchi
Phone / Fax: +81 3 5449 6795 / 6401
hirotaka.shiroguchi@infineon.com
or
Investor Relations
EU/APAC +49 89 234 26655
USA/CAN +1 408 501 6800
investor.relations@infineon.com
