NXP Semiconductors N.V. secured a EUR 1 billion loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the company’s research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects in Austria, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Romania.

The financing will support NXP’s RDI projects aimed at various end markets including automotive, Industrial, and Internet of Things (IoT) for the period up to 2026.

It will contribute to building a European chip ecosystem, in line with the EU Chips Act, the Dutch Semicon Valley and the National Technology Strategy of the Netherlands’ Government, whose scope is to strengthen the semiconductor market in the EU to ensure a secure and competitive supply of chips. Apart from the research and development of new power electronics devices, microprocessors, and microcontrollers, NXP will also focus on the energy efficiency of its devices, the company said.

The EUR 1 billion loan facility carries an approximate interest rate of 4.75 percent when drawn in dollar-denominated tranches under the current market conditions, and has a duration of six years. 

The financing of critical European technology aligns with the EIB’s launch of a targeted “Strategic Tech-EU” investment program to accelerate digitalization and innovation in strategic technologies, such as artificial intelligence, microchips, life sciences, and quantum computing. Semiconductors are critical to the digitalization of many different industries, making them instrumental in public and private efforts to advance decarbonization and sustainability efforts, EIB explained.

“It is fundamental for Europe to remain an indispensable player in the value chain of critical technologies and build RDI and production capacity in those supply chains,” EIB vice president Robert de Groot said. “Luckily, the EU boasts some of the world’s most advanced chip makers. As semiconductors are key to the digital and green transitions, their importance will only grow, and the EIB proudly supports such strategic technology.”

“NXP is committed to strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, and this significant loan from EIB aims at bolstering NXP’s efforts in research and development across many of our EU sites,” said Maarten Dirkzwager, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at NXP. “NXP’s collaboration with the EIB  underscores our commitment to ensuring European technology leadership and sustainability in the global semiconductor market. This loan complements the various existing instruments supporting our industry, such as the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) and other initiatives currently being set up by the European Commission and the Member States. It is also consistent with our investment in the ESMC joint venture fab currently being built in Germany, which will address Europe’s automotive and industrial chip requirements.” 

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) has operations in more than 30 countries and posted a revenue of USD 13.28 billion in 2023.

Its presence in Romania focuses on software development for automotive, microcontrollers and connectivity products as well as IT service management and customers supply operations. Besides the office in Bucharest, NXP Sibiu officially opened in June 2024, as the second R&D Center in Romania. The center in Sibiu focuses on the design and development of software products in the automotive industry.

(Photo: Dzmitry Auramchik | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com