Business in Europe: Austrian Minister of Finance Markus Marterbauer recognizes AT&S as a strategic partner for research, innovation and employment

During a company visit to Leoben, the Minister of Finance notes the innovative power and contribution to strengthening the business location and sees AT&S as a key company for Europe’s technological future.

Leoben, October 29, 2025 – The CEO of AT&S AG, Dr. Michael Mertin, together with the Works Council, welcomed a delegation led by Minister of Finance Dr. Markus Marterbauer to the company’s headquarters in Leoben. The focus of the visit was a tour of “HTB3”, the new competence center for R&D and IC substrate production. In addition, there was an intensive exchange on the strategic importance of Austria and Europe as a production location, regarding technological sovereignty, innovation promotion, and economic policy framework conditions.

Microelectronics as a key technology in Europe

“The Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) initiative launched by the European Union and supported by the Austrian government shows how crucial political support is for technology companies in Europe,” says AT&S CEO Dr. Michael Mertin. He spoke out “in favor of a clear national strategy in the key technology area of microelectronics, a proven strength of Austria”. Mertin referred to the German example of a recently presented microelectronics strategy and called for Austria to take an active position in future EU initiatives relevant to microelectronics. “In addition to a possible new IPCEI program in the field of advanced semiconductor packaging, this also includes a revision of the European Chips Act (2.0) and Austria’s participation in the future Chips Joint Undertaking programs.”

Marterbauer was impressed by the company’s ability to innovate, which has transformed it from a merger of several state-owned companies into the global group it is today. “Europe has an outstanding economic and social model by global standards. It must once again become aware of these strengths. Investments in research and innovation help to strengthen the business location and competitiveness and help to create qualified jobs. This is demonstrated not least by the recently announced recruitment of employees at the Leoben site. AT&S can be described as a pioneer in this respect, continually improving Europe’s role in the field of critical technologies for the future.”

Strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty

“Austria is already benefiting in many ways from current EU initiatives in this context, through the creation of high-quality jobs and corresponding value creation,” added Mertin. Future initiatives should follow a holistic ecosystems approach (end-to-end) and be able to map new technological trends such as photonics and quantum computing along critical points of the supply chain. High-quality printed circuit boards, advanced IC substrates, and modern chip packaging technologies must also be adequately taken into account. The aim must be to be able to finally assemble chip systems, especially for critical applications, at least partially in Europe in the future or to gain trustworthy international partners for this. “This will enable us to reduce our dependence on markets such as Asia and strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty,” said Mertin. In this way, supply crises, as discussed in the media in Europe in recent days, could be at least partially cushioned in terms of technological sovereignty.

AT&S’s IPCEI project in Leoben, which will run until the end of 2026, shows that key technologies such as IC substrates and interposers for numerous AI systems and AI infrastructure applications can be successfully located in Europe. This is a significant step towards reducing dependence on Asia, from research and development to initial industrial use, supported by strong European and cross-border cooperation.

AT&S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik Aktiengesellschaft – Advanced Technologies & Solutions
AT&S is a leading global manufacturer of high-end IC substrates and printed circuit boards. AT&S develops and produces leading-edge interconnect technologies for key digital industries: mobile devices, automotive & aerospace, industrial, medical and high-performance computing for AI applications. With production sites in Austria (Leoben, Fehring), China (Shanghai, Chongqing), Malaysia (Kulim), India (Nanjangud) and a European competence center for R&D and IC substrate production in Leoben, AT&S is actively shaping the digital transformation – through forward-looking investments in research and development and the responsible use of resources. The company currently employs around 13,000 people.

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