SCIA SYSTEMS GMBH

Their core work

SCIA Systems GmbH is a German technology company based in Chemnitz, Saxony — a region with deep roots in semiconductor manufacturing and automotive supply chains. The company specialises in semiconductor test systems and process equipment, contributing measurement and validation capabilities to large-scale R&D programs. In the H2020 context, they have appeared as a specialist equipment provider: once for wide-band-gap power semiconductor testing in electric vehicle applications, and once for advanced semiconductor process technology at the 3nm node. Their value in research consortia lies in providing industry-grade test infrastructure that bridges laboratory research and manufacturing-ready validation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first H2020 engagement (2018) was squarely in applied power electronics — specifically testing wide-band-gap semiconductors as they move into electric vehicle drivetrains and chargers. This is an application-driven role: does the device perform under real operating conditions? By their second project (2019), the focus shifted upstream toward semiconductor manufacturing itself — process equipment and materials for 3nm node fabrication, which is a fundamentally different and more fundamental challenge. The trajectory suggests a company expanding from end-product testing toward process-level equipment, moving closer to the semiconductor foundry and materials side of the value chain.

SCIA Systems appears to be moving upstream along the semiconductor value chain — from testing finished power devices toward supplying or characterising equipment for advanced-node fabrication processes, which positions them closer to the European semiconductor sovereignty agenda.

How they like to work

SCIA Systems has consistently joined projects as a participant rather than leading them — they have not coordinated any H2020 project. Both projects they joined were large consortia (57 unique partners across 11 countries from just two projects), indicating they enter well-established, multi-actor programs rather than building their own. This pattern is typical of a specialist equipment or test-house company that contributes a defined technical capability and leaves consortium management to universities, research institutes, or system integrators.

Despite only two projects, SCIA Systems has been exposed to 57 unique consortium partners across 11 countries — a wide network driven by participation in large pan-European R&D consortia. No geographic concentration is visible; the reach is broadly European.

What sets them apart

SCIA Systems operates from Chemnitz, which sits within Silicon Saxony — Germany's densest semiconductor cluster, home to Infineon, GlobalFoundries, Bosch, and multiple Fraunhofer institutes. This location gives them proximity to both the automotive electronics supply chain and advanced chip fabrication ecosystems, a combination few test-system companies in Eastern Germany can match. Their dual exposure to WBG power devices and sub-5nm process technology suggests they can serve both the power semiconductor market (critical for energy transition) and the advanced logic market (critical for digital sovereignty), which is a rare combination at this scale.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PIN3S
  The largest of their two projects by EC contribution (EUR 121,442), targeting 3nm semiconductor integration — one of the most technically ambitious nodes pursued under H2020, with direct relevance to European chip sovereignty ambitions.
• HiPERFORM
  Placed SCIA Systems at the intersection of wide-band-gap semiconductors and electric vehicle powertrains, a high-priority application area for Europe's automotive electrification transition.