Infineon and Russian KNC to Cooperate

Infineon Technologies and Koncern Nauchny Centr, KNC, one of Russia's largest union of high-tech companies, today announced they have agreed to co-operate in the field of chip packages specifically used in smart card applications. Based on the agreement the companies will foremost promote wirebond packaging technology in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Infineon will make available its expertise in production methods for smart card chip packages and will transfer two conventional assembly lines to KNC's semiconductor production facility Mikron in Zelenograd in Russia. KNC on its part will integrate Infineon's chips in its future smart cards used for different applications, such as SIM cards in mobile phones. KNC pursues its roadmap to enter production of packages for smart card chips paired with their launch of smart card production already announced earlier this year. Financial details of the collaboration and of the supply agreement were not disclosed. According to market research firm Frost & Sullivan, the world market for SIM cards used in mobile phones is expected to annually grow by 14 percent within the next years. Industry experts anticipate major growth in the Eastern Europe region.