News and Pressroom

Nuremberg/Wien/Munich/Noordwijk(NL): The European Galileo satellite navigation system has become a crucial cor-nerstone for global positioning services. As increasingly demanding use cases emerge the need for reliable and highly accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services in space continues to grow. The European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of the European Commission and under the Horizon Europe programme, has awarded a contract to the satellite navigation experts of Fraunhofer IIS – together with Beyond Gravity Austria GmbH, Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, and IABG mbH – to design and develop a first space-ready test prototype for the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS). This secure test space receiver STACIE could support institutional and governmental space missions and applications of the European Union member states.

Heilbronn: AI plays a huge role in the semiconductor industry, both by facilitating more efficient development processes and as a target application in development work. This is why the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centers HNFIZ are adding the Chip AI research and innovation center for AI chip design to their service range. The center is funded via the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. The Chip AI research and innovation center relies on close cooperation with stakeholders of the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI).

Looking inside an object without having to change it by opening it or taking it apart: This is the goal of nondestructive testing (NDT). However, only items that fit in the testing device can be scanned. In the GiantEye project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is developing an innovative new high-energy computed tomography system at its Development Center X-Ray Technology in Fürth. This system enables nondestructive testing and digitalization of large and complex objects at the highest level of detail.

ADTechnology, a leading South Korea design house and IP company, and Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, a renowned German applied research institution, have officially announced a strategic technology collaboration. The partnership includes the joint development of SoC (System-on-Chip) and Chiplet solutions utilizing Samsung Foundry’s cutting-edge 4 nm technology process.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a system that uses sensors and AI to monitor a driver's cognitive load. In the future, this technology could ease driver strain when they reach their stress limit. The system can also be applied in other fields, such as for pilots or surgeons. The researchers are using an innovative sensor network for the project – as well as a PC game for preparing virtual sushi.

Many people are familiar with audio and video codecs, but who knows how many other technologies are required to enable audio or video streaming? One such technology, largely unknown but nonetheless indispensable, is the Common Media Application Format (CMAF), developed by the leading standardization organization in the media world: MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group). The MPEG Systems Group was honored with the Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for the CMAF standardization in early December. Colleagues from Fraunhofer IIS made a significant contribution to the development within the MPEG Systems Working Group. The award winners accepted the prestigious golden trophy in New York on December 4.

On 17 November, Eric Fribourg-Blanc, Senior Programme Officer at the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), visited Fraunhofer IIS in Erlangen. He was accompanied by Dirk Schumann, director of the APECS Pilot Line at the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD). The visit focused on the APECS Pilot Line, a central pillar of the EU Chips Act, which advances the development and transfer of novel chiplet technologies into industrial application.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a system that uses sensors and AI to monitor a driver's cognitive load. In the future, this technology could ease driver strain when they reach their stress limit. The system can also be applied in other fields, such as for pilots or surgeons. The researchers are using an innovative sensor network for the project – as well as a PC game for preparing virtual sushi.

Erlangen — In conjunction with his appointment as professor of Information Technology and Electronics at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Giovanni Del Galdo will join the institute management team of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS on November 1, 2025. Previously, he served as a professor at Technische Universität Ilmenau and headed the Electronic Measurements and Signal Processing department at Fraunhofer IIS.

Erlangen, Germany – As the consortium leader of the EU-funded project SpikeHERO, Fraunhofer IIS is setting its sights on fiber optic networks over the next four years. Together with industry and research partners from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Belgium, the institute is developing AI chips based on spiking neural networks to significantly improve signal quality and boost data transmission rates in fiber optics. The project launches on October 1, 2025 and is intended to help expand Europe's digital infrastructure and consolidate its technological sovereignty.