X-FAB SEMICONDUCTOR FOUNDRIES GMBH

Their core work

X-FAB is a major European semiconductor foundry specializing in analog and mixed-signal process technologies. They manufacture chips for automotive, industrial, and power electronics applications, operating fabrication facilities that produce wafers for other companies' designs. In H2020, they contribute foundry expertise to projects advancing power semiconductor technologies — from gallium nitride (GaN) integration to silicon-based power devices and reliability engineering for electronic components and systems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

X-FAB's early H2020 involvement (2017-2018) centered on foundry process development — GaN-on-CMOS integration and micro-transfer printing at wafer level, essentially expanding what their fabs could produce. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward power electronics reliability and next-generation power semiconductors, with keywords like "Quality 4.0," "design for reliability," and "wide band gap power transistors" dominating. This reflects a move from pure manufacturing process R&D toward ensuring the dependability of power electronics for mobility and industrial applications.

X-FAB is positioning itself as a reliability-focused foundry for the European power electronics supply chain, particularly for automotive and industrial electrification.

How they like to work

X-FAB operates exclusively as a participant or third party — never as coordinator — which fits their role as a foundry providing manufacturing capabilities to research-driven consortia. With 150 unique partners across 16 countries from just 5 projects, they work in very large ECSEL/KDT-style consortia (often 30+ partners). This means they are well-connected across the European electronics ecosystem but function as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver.

Despite only 5 projects, X-FAB has collaborated with 150 unique partners across 16 countries, reflecting their participation in large pan-European electronics industry consortia. Their network spans the core EU semiconductor ecosystem — likely including major chipmakers, automotive OEMs, and research institutes across Germany, France, Netherlands, Austria, and beyond.

What sets them apart

X-FAB is one of the few independent European semiconductor foundries — they don't design chips, they manufacture them for others. This makes them a rare partner type: they bring actual fabrication infrastructure and process know-how, not just research capability. For any consortium needing to demonstrate manufacturability or pilot-line validation of new semiconductor technologies in Europe, X-FAB is a natural fit.

Highlights from their portfolio

• iRel40
  Their largest funded project (EUR 471K) and most strategic — focuses on reliability engineering for electronic components, directly aligned with automotive and industrial quality demands.
• YESvGaN
  Points to X-FAB's future direction in vertical GaN power devices — a technology that could bring wide bandgap performance at silicon-like costs.
• GaNonCMOS
  Addressed the technically challenging integration of GaN with standard Si-CMOS, relevant to high-frequency power delivery systems.