Apple is investing more than one billion euros ($ 1.2 billion) in a huge R&D project in Munich, Germany, at the heart of which is a new European silicon design center. The 30,000 square meter facility will house the iPhone maker’s expanding cell division, which is responsible for building 5G and future wireless technologies such as modems. Apple says the building in downtown Munich will run on 100% renewable energy, like its other global offices. It is preparing to move into the new European site in 2022, with plans to spend the billion euros over the next three years, according to a blog post.
Munich is Apple’s largest engineering center in Europe, so the expansion makes sense, with around 4,000 employees and some 1,500 engineers from 40 countries working on the design of power management and processors. ‘application. Its Bavarian Design Center has also created custom silicon for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Macs.
Germany is also an integral part of Apple’s supply chain: the tech giant has spent more than 15 billion euros ($ 17.9 billion) with more than 700 local companies, including the giant phone and automotive chips Infineon, battery maker AirPods Varta, and chemical company DELO, whose resin is used. in Face ID technology in new products like the iPhone 12 Pro.
Equally important is the timing of the announcement, coming on the heels of a new IPhone 5G life cycle, Apple’s decision to adopt its own M1 chips in its MacBooks on partner Intel processors and lingering rumors that it is planning a electric vehicle. More broadly, Apple’s expansion comes amid a perfect storm of pandemic-induced semiconductor shortages – hurting production across car manufacturing, game consoles and smartphones – and a brawl between world powers, including we, China and Europe who seek to energize their chip manufacturing industries and assert their digital sovereignty.
“I couldn’t be more excited about everything our engineering teams in Munich will discover – from exploring the new frontiers of 5G technology to a new generation of technologies that bring power, speed and connectivity to the world,” Apple chief Tim Cook said. “Munich has been home to Apple for four decades, and we are grateful to this community and to Germany for being a part of our journey.”