With the signing of a letter of intent yesterday, TU/e and NXP Semiconductors expressed their ambition to jointly develop a new, groundbreaking generation technology for wireless communication at frequencies above 300 GHz. From TU/e, the Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute (EHCI) is involved.
In the main photo from left to right: Maurice Geraerts, executive director NXP Netherlands, Lars Reger, vice-president NXP, college president Robert-Jan Smits and Silvia Lenaerts, TU/e's new rector since 11 May. By TU/e press team photo Fotowerkt
In the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed yesterday, the two parties state that they will make knowledge and data as well as the necessary staff and students available through a new roadmap, in order to make great strides in the future in the speed, efficiency and stability of information transfer. It is not the first partnership between TU/e and NXP; the two parties have been successfully working together for years on smarter, safer and cleaner mobility systems.
Higher bandwidths
From TU/e, the Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute (EHCI) is involved. Scientists from the institute, together with specialists from NXP, will, among other things, conduct research into semiconductor technology that enables significantly higher bandwidths than are currently common. The aim is to achieve communication at high frequencies, above 300 GHz. This is currently difficult because the performance of current technologies for these frequencies is very limited.
New technology for wireless communication gives significantly more possibilities in a society that is increasingly focusing on 'plug-less' applications. Think IoT devices, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), but also applications in the medical or mobility sector, such as replacing wires in aircraft with wireless connections.
Strategic sovereignty
College president Robert-Jan Smits on this cooperation: "TU/e is known for its pioneering work in the field of wireless communication, a field that is essential for the strategic sovereignty of both the Netherlands and Europe. NXP has been a key partner in this for many years. The MoU will further intensify the cooperation between TU/e and NXP."
Lars Reger, executive vice president and CTO of NXP, said that collaboration with leading universities is an integral part of NXP's innovation strategy. "And TU/e's proven track record in collaboration with industry gives us full confidence to expand our collaboration into new research areas focused on communication and sensor systems. This will lead to new innovations in communication technologies and advanced driver assistance systems, a field in which NXP is the world leader in semiconductors. With advanced driver assistance systems, we want to contribute to reducing the more than one million traffic fatalities worldwide every year."
It is the second time within a short period that TU/e has strengthened its ties with a major partner from the Brainport region through the signing of an MoU. In April, it was announced that ASML will build a cleanroom on the TU/e campus, among other things to conduct research together in the fields of plasma physics, artificial intelligence, mechatronics and semiconductor lithography.
