October 5, 2007 – NXP Semiconductors has opened a 100M euro R&D center in Caen, France, housing 800 engineers working on technologies such as RF, silicon tuners, SiP process technologies, and other semiconductor applications like near-field communication. The site also houses a joint research institute with CNRS for system solution testing.

For NXP, which recently announced a 42M euro investment in R&D and manufacturing at its Vienna site, the spending “demonstrates the importance of Europe in our annual one billion Euro R&D program and how we use this investment in innovation to maintain leadership in the high-growth areas where we focus,” said president/CEO Frans van Houten, in a statement. He noted that the Caen team recently developed a HDMI 1.3 receiver chip.

“Caen has always been the ideal location for our R&D activities,” added Henri-Alain Rault, president of NXP France. “It boasts a strong entrepreneurial culture and commitment from the public authorities, as well as a solid ecosystem formed by research laboratories, regional P