LEOBEN, AUSTRIA – AT&S has received a €250 million loan ($271 million) from European Investment Bank to fund research and development activities and help finance the construction of a new research center at its headquarters.

AT&S is the only European manufacturer of high-end printed circuit boards and IC substrates. The new center in Leoben will help the European Union to achieve digital autonomy, a priority under the European Chips Act, and the goal is to create a chip ecosystem to ensure Europe’s security of supply in microchips and to strengthen its digital technology production capabilities, EIB said in a release.

"We are proud to support AT&S, a highly innovative company that is key to achieving digital autonomy in Europe," said EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros, who oversees financing in Austria. "The Leoben research centre, in collaboration with universities and research institutions, will serve to develop knowledge within the industry."

"AT&S’s new R&D centre will make a significant contribution to Europe’s competitiveness in the field of microelectronics, in line with the European Chips Act," said AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. "This centre of expertise for IC substrates and microelectronics packaging being built in Austria is the only one of its kind in Europe. This investment will serve AT&S customers in the high-end semiconductor sector as well as international research institutions. It will be a major regional development project and also create many appealing jobs."