The European microelectronics research project iDev40 (Integrated Development 4.0) was launched on 14 June under the direction of Infineon Austria . With a volume of 47 million euros, it is one of the largest European research projects focusing on digitization and Industry 4.0 across the entire value chain. 38 partners are onboard from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Romania and Spain, including Evolaris , Yazzoom , Elmos , as well as universities, colleges and research institutes such as the Polytechnic University Bucharest , the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation , and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Component technology IISB .

The focus of the three-year project is on secure data and knowledge management in the product life cycle, the digital flow of information, and innovation in the supply chain. The project relies on Digital Twins, for example, which will make distributed production lines controllable as an intelligent overall network. Another important aspect is electronics manufacturing jobs, since iDev40 is also concerned with acquiring expertise and new job profiles so that employees have the necessary skills to handle highly automated, complex systems. The project is supposed to contribute in securing more than 15,000 jobs at the participating companies in the medium to long term.