Apple to invest over EUR 1bn in European Silicon Design Center in Munich

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. The expansion in Munich, together with additional investment in R&D, will exceed EUR 1 billion euros in the next three years alone. “I couldn’t be more excited for everything our Munich engineering teams 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,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a press release. “Munich has been a home to Apple for four decades, and we’re grateful to this community and to Germany for being a part of our journey.” 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, and they have been "critical to Apple’s efforts to deliver multiple power management unit chips". The teams have created custom silicon, delivering greater performance and better efficiency for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac with the M1 chip. 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. Teams also focus on developing, integrating, and optimising wireless modems for Apple products. Apple plans to start moving into the new building in late 2022. In the past five years, Apple has spent over EUR 15 billion 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.