Apple has announced that it will spend $1.2 billion (€1 billion) over the next three years to expand its team in the German city and build the requisite research and development facilities which will be called the “European Silicon Design Centre.”
Munich is now Apple’s largest innovation centre in Europe, with about 1,500 engineers from 40 countries working in areas such as power management architecture, application processors and wireless technologies. Apple is headquartered at the Apple Park Campus in Cupertino, California.
The new Munich facility will be home to Apple’s growing cellular unit, Europe’s largest R&D site for mobile wireless semiconductors and applications, said Apple, adding that the team will concentrate on 5G and other wireless technologies.
The European Silicon Design Centre’s mission is to help Apple products combine hardware and software engineering more closely so that they can better leverage the promise of wireless technology like 5G and beyond. The study will concentrate on the development, integration, and optimization of wireless modems for Apple products. Apple has a sister site in Linz, Austria, that is already researching on new radio technologies.
Apple signed a $600 million contract with Anglo-German chip manufacturer Dialog Semiconductor in 2018 to put the teams that design the key power chips used in its iPhone and other devices in-house.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said, “I couldn’t be more excited about all our Munich engineering teams will discover – from exploring the new frontiers of 5G technology to a new generation of innovations that bring strength, speed, and connectivity to the planet. Apple has had a presence in Munich for four decades, and we are grateful to this group and Germany for their support.”
The new 30,000-square-metre facility will be located on Karlstrasse in central Munich, with architecture and gardens that highlight local materials to represent Munich’s history, humanity, and creativity.
Apple expects to move into the new building in late 2022, with the Centre being planned to be LEED Gold certified from the outset. It, like all Apple offices, will be operated entirely by renewable energy.
In Germany, Apple employs over 4,000 people in a variety of positions, including retail, engineering, and operations.
