Tech News

Spring is here and with it, the subtle hum of insect life begins to rise again. Hopefully. Imagine a world where no bees are buzzing around our gardens, no dung beetles or flies recycling the planet’s waste. Sadly, this is not a dystopian science fiction story: research studies conducted in Germany have described more than 75% decline in insect biomass over 27 years. However, insects are one of the most powerful environmental indicators on the planet, providing real-time insights into ecosystem health, climate shifts, and industrial impacts. That´s why Collette Wasielewski (Designer, Marketer and Bug Fanatic) and Tom Cox (Sustainable Technologist and Software Developer) created SPAIA (Society of People Against the Insect Apocalypse). The team is currently working with scientists and advisors from the Start-A-Factory at Fraunhofer IZM, Harper Adams University, and others on an open-source system designed to gather the world’s insect data and make it accessible to everyone who needs it.

On March 31, 2025, at the Hannover Messe, the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland FMD) officially unveiled its new Chiplet Application Hub. Designed to serve as a central platform for the development and application of chiplet technologies, the hub aims to bridge the gap between research and industrial use. By working closely with industry partners, the hub accelerates the development of chiplets made in Germany, elevating industrial research to a new level. At the national level, it complements FMD’s role in the Chips for Europe Initiative, further reinforcing Germany’s technological resilience. The hub's research, development, and prototyping activities build on the infrastructure of the APECS pilot line, ensuring direct pathways to industrial application.

Creating injection-molded electronics in a way that gives developers real freedom in their designs and, even more urgently, is easier on the environment is a major challenge for the industry. The EU Horizon project MULTIMOLD has brought together researchers from Fraunhofer IZM and their international partners in the pursuit of a novel injection molding process that combines advanced electronic functionality with high environmental standards.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM announces its active contribution to the APECS pilot line launched as part of the EU Chips Acts. APECS intends to promote the development and integration of chiplet technologies as a means of making Europe’s semiconductor industry more competitive.

The CORNET project Alu4CED has been awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for Innovation at the Kaohsiung International Invention & Design EXPO (KIDE 2024). The organizers recognized Alu4CED for its innovative contribution to sustainable electronics: a “multifunctional aluminum-based housing for electronic devices in the circular economy.”

Waveguides, integrated in glass, have the potential to significantly boost the measuring accuracy of sensors in science and industry. In the “3DGlassGuard“ project, a consortium including Fraunhofer IZM is working on a sensor for measuring the density of seawater that can potentially help generate more consistent climate models. The researchers are also planning to create sensors in glass for power electronics, using innovative optical 3D microstructures and AI design processes.

Today, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honored the winners of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2024 at a formal ceremony in Berlin. The award was presented to a team of experts led by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch from ams OSRAM and Dr. Hermann Oppermann from the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM for the technological implementation of their idea — an LED matrix that turns car headlights into projectors. The LED technology developed by the team opens up new possibilities for innovative designs thanks to its high-resolution light distribution and its energy efficiency.

On November 8, Fraunhofer IZM welcomed Patrick Hetzel, the French Minister of Higher Education and Research. In addition to Institute Director Prof. Ulrike Ganesh and Rolf Aschenbrenner, Deputy Director of the Institute, Fraunhofer researchers with French roots were also present. The meeting’s objective was to continue the dialog on future-relevant key technologies such as high-performance computing, quantum electronics, hardware security and sustainability. Of particular importance were strategic considerations regarding Europe's technological sovereignty in the semiconductor sector.

On the EnerConnect project, researchers at Fraunhofer IZM are testing bidirectional blocking gallium nitride (GaN) transistors to design a system that could be used with the next generation of active converters and rectifiers. The innovative hardware removes the need for a separate conversion stage and can achieve record 99% efficiency.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM has launched a Glass Panel Technology Group in response to strong industry interest. This initiative aims to develop glass-based substrates for advanced packaging and promote their use in data center technology and high-performance computing. Due to its material properties, glass offers a promising basis for technological innovations in microelectronics; in particular, its high dimensional stability allows ultra-fine conductor tracks, even below 5μm as structure widths.