TDK Electronics AG

Their core work

TDK Electronics AG, operating under the EPCOS brand, is a major German manufacturer of electronic components — capacitors, inductors, filters, sensors, and power semiconductors — supplying industrial, automotive, and consumer electronics markets globally. In H2020, they contributed as an industrial partner bringing component-level manufacturing expertise and real-world reliability constraints to large-scale research consortia. Their participation spans both fundamental materials science (graphene-based components) and applied power electronics for electric vehicle drivetrains, reflecting TDK's strategic push into the electromobility value chain. As a non-SME industrial company, they represent the bridge between laboratory research and volume production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 appearance (2016–2018), TDK joined GrapheneCore1, a fundamental research flagship exploring graphene and layered materials — a forward-looking bet on next-generation component substrates rather than a near-market application. By 2021–2024, their focus had shifted decisively toward applied power electronics: wide band-gap semiconductors, efficiency, and drivetrain integration in HiEFFICIENT signal a move from materials curiosity to electromobility commercialisation. The trajectory tracks with TDK Corporation's broader corporate strategy, which has heavily prioritised automotive and energy-efficiency segments throughout the 2020s.

TDK is moving toward applied electric drivetrain components — wide band-gap semiconductors and power conversion modules — making them a strong industrial partner for any consortium working on EV powertrains, power converters, or high-efficiency motor drives.

How they like to work

TDK Electronics participates exclusively as a consortium partner and has never led an H2020 project, which is typical for large industrials that contribute application knowledge and validation capacity rather than research management. Their involvement in GrapheneCore1 — one of Europe's largest and most complex research initiatives — shows comfort operating inside very large multi-country consortia. They bring industrial credibility and a route-to-market signal, but organisations seeking a co-PI or project coordinator should look elsewhere.

TDK's recorded network of 215 unique partners across 26 countries is largely inherited from GrapheneCore1's Flagship-scale consortium rather than reflecting TDK's own relationship-building across projects. Their effective active network from individual project participation is much smaller, anchored in the German and European automotive and electronics supply chain.

What sets them apart

TDK Electronics is one of the few H2020 participants that is both a global Tier-1 component manufacturer and a research project contributor — their presence in a consortium signals industrial validation and a credible path to volume production. Unlike university or institute partners, they bring commercial manufacturing standards, automotive qualification processes, and access to a global distribution network. For a consortium building toward a market-ready prototype, TDK's endorsement of a technology (e.g., a wide band-gap device architecture) carries commercial weight that pure research partners cannot provide.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HiEFFICIENT
  The only project for which TDK received EC funding, targeting modular and intelligent electric drivetrains using wide band-gap semiconductors — directly aligned with TDK's commercial electromobility product strategy.
• GrapheneCore1
  Part of the EU Graphene Flagship, one of Europe's largest-ever research initiatives, giving TDK early industrial access to graphene materials that could underpin next-generation passive and power components.