Tech News

Inverters are the heart of modern electric drives. They control the energy that flows from batteries to motors, giving them massive influence over efficiency and performance. Fraunhofer IZM has achieved an evolutionary leap for this most crucial technology: An innovative inverter that handles 500 kilowatts of power in a unit just one liter in volume. With its extremely low inductance promising 99 percent efficiency, it is time to fasten the seatbelts.

Electric cars should be better for the environment, powerful, but also affordable. However, the chargers built into them are hindering progress, as current models are reaching their limits in terms of efficiency, size, and reliability. The EU-funded HiPower 5.0 project aims to revolutionize this technology, with Fraunhofer IZM making an essential contribution.

The European research project INCREACE is setting a new milestone on the path to a truly circular economy: A consortium of universities, research institutions, and industry partners has created a comprehensive playbook and new assessment tool, designed to facilitate the development of recyclable electronic devices and the use of recycled plastics in electronic products.

Supported by Fraunhofer IZM, the startup Zn2H2 has created an innovative and cost-effective way to produce nickel-zinc batteries. This type of battery is particularly suitable wherever large amounts of power are needed within a very short time. And they are the perfect choice for one specific market: AI data centers.

On March 2, 2026, Eric Fribourg-Blanc from Chips Joint Undertaking visited Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID. During a tour of the 300 mm cleanroom, the focus was on current projects, future topics for the APECS pilot line, and joint innovation processes.

The European Union has granted EUR 25 million to the SUPREME consortium, marking a significant milestone in industrialisation of superconducting quantum technologies across Europe. Together with national funding from the member states, the total funding adds up to 50 million Euros. Key objectives of the initiative include developing stable superconducting technology and giving access to it for both industry and academia. The first phase will commence in early 2026 and span three and a half years, bringing together 23 partners from eight Member States.

Net Zero by 2030: That is the ambitious goal of leading IT companies for their products’ carbon emissions, calculated across the entire semiconductor value chain. On behalf of the SEMI Semiconductor Climate Consortium, researchers at Fraunhofer IZM are working on a strategic roadmap for the product carbon footprint (PCF). The PCF will become the vehicle for a realistic calculation of the carbon emissions covering the full sweep - from the production of a single semiconductor to the hardware running in major data centers.

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary in the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, visited Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin. The focus was on close cooperation with the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) and valuable exchanges with host Prof. Ulrike Ganesh, Director of Fraunhofer IZM, and Prof. Ronald Freund, Director of Fraunhofer HHI.

CHASSIS: European mobility, semiconductor, and software heavyweights team up with research in joint initiative for automotive chiplet technology

As part of the EU-funded PROACTIF project, 42 European partners from research and industry are collaborating with Nokia to develop a new multi-sensor system designed specifically for drones. The German consortium, led by Fraunhofer IZM, is developing an innovative multi-sensor module that automatically detects heat. This compact unit combines radar and infrared technology. The combination of short- and long-range radar with three innovative packaging technologies results in a lightweight, robust system that can detect the precise location of pockets of embers in forest fires, even beneath the tree canopy.