Apple plans European Silicon Design Center in Munich : Apple World Today

Apple has announced that it will make Munich its European Silicon Design Center, adding hundreds of new employees and a new state-of-the-art facility focused on connectivity and wireless technologies. 

Munich is already Apple’s largest engineering hub in Europe, with close to 1,500 engineers from 40 countries working in a variety of areas including power management design, application processors, and wireless technologies. Their work is contributing to Apple’s custom silicon designs with industry-leading performance, powerful features, and incredible efficiency. Apple CEO Tim Cooks says the expansion in Munich, together with additional investment in R&D, will exceed 1 billion euros in the next three years alone.

In 2015, Apple opened its Bavarian Design Center which has grown to more than 350 engineers. The teams’ initial focus was on power management design. The teams have created custom silicon.

In 2019, the company added silicon engineering sites in Nabern, Kirchheim unter Teck. Today, about half of Apple’s global power management design team is located in Germany, and Apple also has teams in Munich working on application processor SoCs, and analog and mixed signal solutions for iPhone.

The new facility will be home to Apple’s growing cellular unit, and Europe’s largest R&D site for mobile wireless semiconductors and software. The team is creating 5G and future technologies. Teams also focus on developing, integrating, and optimizing wireless modems for Apple products. Apple’s site in Linz, Austria, is driving new radio technologies.

The new, 30,000-square-meter facility is located in central Munich’s Karlstrasse. Apple plans to start moving into the new building in late 2022.

Apple says that, in the past five years, it has spent over 15 billion euros with more than 700 companies of all sizes across Germany. This includes the chip manufacturer Infineon, battery company Varta, and the family-owned chemical company DELO, which is delivering resin for Face ID technology in Apple’s newest products, including iPhone 12 Pro.

Apple has been operating in Munich since 1981 when it started with 10 employees. Today, Apple team members are working across seven offices, and two of the 15 German Apple Store locations are in Munich.