Unterpremstaetten, Austria and Erlangen, Germany (May 28, 2009) – austriamicrosystems (SIX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs for communications, industrial, medical and automotive applications, and Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) today announce a cooperation agreement, where both members plan to develop a new generation of magnetic motion sensing integrated circuits, which will be based on Fraunhofer’s patented HallinOne magnetic sensor technology.

During this cooperation program, austriamicrosystems and Fraunhofer IIS will develop a family of magnetic encoder products specifically targeted for applications within the industrial, medical and automotive markets. austriamicrosystems will offer these products as a part of its comprehensive magnetic encoder IC portfolio.

The core of this new magnetic encoder product family is Fraunhofer’s proprietary HallinOne sensor technology. This sensor technology allows measuring of magnetic fields in horizontal and vertical dimensions, providing magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at any measured point. The HallinOne sensor can be implemented in a standard CMOS process, and can be seamlessly integrated with signal processing on a single die.

“We are very pleased to engage in this cooperation with austriamicrosystems who has an established track record in design and manufacturing of linear and rotary magnetic encoders on the market”, said Josef Sauerer, Head of IC Development for Analog Systems at Fraunhofer Institute IIS. “For us, this joint program offers an ideal platform which enables us to offer our innovative magnetic sensing technology to the marketplace.”

“This cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute allows us to further expand our comprehensive magnetic encoder product portfolio”, said Matjaz Novak, Marketing Director at austriamicrosystems. “With the HallinOne sensor based products, we want to offer to market new innovative and cost efficient solutions for a variety of motion sensing applications.”

About austriamicrosystems
austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs, combining more than 27 years of analog design capabilities and system know-how with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems leverages its expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading customized and standard analog products. Operating worldwide with more than 1,000 employees, austriamicrosystems focuses on the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces and mobile infotainment in its markets Communications, Industry & Medical and Automotive, complemented by its Full Service Foundry activities. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker: AMS).

About Fraunhofer Institute
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS performs contract research and development for industry and public authorities. Headed by the collegial board of directors, Professor Dr.-Ing. Heinz Gerhäuser (Executive Director) and Professor Dr.-Ing. Günter Elst, Fraunhofer IIS researchers develop microelectronic systems and devices along with the required integrated circuits and software.

Established in 1985, the Erlangen-based Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in its current configuration – with locations in Nürnberg, Fürth, Dresden and Ilmenau – ranks first among the Fraunhofer Institutes concerning headcount and revenues. Fraunhofer IIS is recognized for its research programs into microelectronics, information technology, telecommunications, audio and multimedia technology, digital radio, digital cinema, RF technology, satellite navigation, medical engineering, logistics, and mechanical and industrial automation. Research on integrated sensor systems on standard CMOS-technologies is a major focus at Fraunhofer IIS.