Fujitsu buys embedded centre in Austria

Comneon has been a global supplier of embedded software solutions for 17 years, providing a comprehensive range of R&D, applications and software services. The acquisition, which took effect on January 1st 2009, marked the formation of a new company, FME Embedded Solutions GmbH in Austria , a wholly-owned subsidiary of FME, dedicated to delivering systems solutions to customers across EMEA. Changing market conditions have led to increased emphasis being placed on software, as customers demand a move from pure silicon to integrated systems solutions. The new company forms part of FME’s long-term strategy to expand its software capability to support customers’ ongoing requirements. The initial focus will be on European automotive and industrial projects supporting FME’s existing hardware and software design teams in its Automotive Business Unit in Langen, Germany and Graphics Competence Center in Munich. Target application areas include system solutions for driver information, body & chassis control and a broad range of industrial applications as well as HMI design for automotive and industrial solutions. This will encompass 2D HMI and 3D graphics, application software and low level drivers / tasks for microcontrollers including AUTOSAR OS deployment. The acquisition means that FME now has the resources in place to take on larger and more complex projects. The highly-qualified, professional core team of 48 software design engineers based in Linz will enable FME to leverage their some 500 man-years of experience in the field of software development for embedded systems. The integration of software solutions into existing architecture means that the project team will be a perfect match for the requirements of FME’s new and existing customer base throughout EMEA. “We at Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe are very excited about the expansion of our software capabilities with the acquisition of the team of experts in Linz. The market here in Europe is becoming more and more demanding in terms of software requirements. The new team in Linz will have positive influence on our business in the medium and long-term and will become a valued member of the Fujitsu family,” said Dr. Gerhard Roos, Senior Director at FME and newly appointed Managing Director of FME Embedded Solutions GmbH in Austria. Dr. Roos is supported by fellow board members Shimpei Hirata, President of FME and Dirk Weinsziehr, Vice President, Marketing and Development at FME. Fujitsu Microelectronics has a strong European design and development heritage. The new company will significantly enhance FME’s existing design centres, which include its ASIC and MCU Design Centres and Multimedia Development Centre in Langen (Germany); its Graphics Competence Center and ASIC Design Centre in Munich, and its Mixed Signal Design Centre in Maidenhead (UK).