STMICROELECTRONICS CROLLES 2 SAS

Their core work

STMicroelectronics Crolles 2 is the advanced semiconductor fabrication and R&D site of STMicroelectronics, located in Grenoble's Silicon Valley (Crolles, France). They design and manufacture advanced CMOS chips, microcontrollers, memory technologies (embedded flash, phase-change memory, MRAM), and sensor systems using their proprietary FD-SOI (Fully Depleted Silicon on Insulator) process technology. Their work spans the full chain from nanoscale device simulation and wafer-level fabrication through to integrated systems-on-chip for automotive, IoT, AI-at-the-edge, and 5G applications. As a major European semiconductor fab, they operate pilot lines where next-generation chip technologies are validated before volume production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), STM Crolles focused on foundational semiconductor platform development — advancing FD-SOI substrates (WAYTOGO FAST), digital factory concepts (Productive4.0), and 3D integration research (3D-MUSE), alongside quantum engineering training (GreQuE). From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward application-driven chip solutions: embedded AI at the edge (StorAIge, ANDANTE), automotive-grade microcontrollers with advanced memory (WAKeMeUP), 5G/RF silicon (BEYOND5), and sensing technologies for LiDAR and security (VIZTA). The evolution shows a clear move from process R&D toward integrated, market-ready semiconductor products for automotive, IoT, and AI workloads.

STM Crolles is converging its FD-SOI, memory, and sensor expertise into integrated platforms for edge AI and automotive, making them a strong partner for anyone building intelligent embedded systems in Europe.

How they like to work

STM Crolles operates as a heavyweight industrial partner that also leads major projects when the topic aligns with their strategic roadmap — they coordinated 4 of their 18 projects, including two of the largest (WAKeMeUP at EUR 8.3M and StorAIge at EUR 5.7M). With 344 unique consortium partners across 25 countries, they function as a hub in the European electronics ecosystem, connecting with a wide range of research institutes, equipment suppliers, and design houses. Their participation in ECSEL Joint Undertaking projects (large-scale electronics initiatives with 20+ partners) shows they are comfortable in big, industry-driven consortia where they typically contribute pilot-line access and fabrication capabilities.

With 344 unique partners across 25 countries, STM Crolles has one of the densest collaboration networks in European semiconductor R&D, anchored in the Grenoble ecosystem (CEA-Leti, IMEP-LaHC) but extending across all major EU electronics hubs including Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy.

What sets them apart

STM Crolles is one of the very few organizations in Europe that combines advanced semiconductor fabrication pilot lines with deep R&D capability — they don't just design chips, they manufacture them at scale. Their mastery of FD-SOI technology gives them a differentiated position globally, as this low-power process is a European strength not replicated by Asian or American foundries at the same scale. For consortium builders, partnering with STM Crolles means access to actual silicon fabrication, not just simulation or design — they can take a concept from modeling through wafer fabrication to a working chip.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WAKeMeUP
  Their largest project (EUR 8.3M as coordinator) developing next-generation automotive microcontrollers with embedded memory — signals their strategic bet on automotive semiconductors.
• StorAIge
  Most recent coordinated project (EUR 5.7M) combining embedded storage with AI-on-the-edge MCUs — represents where the company is heading next.
• VIZTA
  EUR 5.5M coordinated project on Time-of-Flight and LiDAR sensing — shows expansion beyond traditional logic/memory into photonics and imaging.