NXP invests $22 million in expansion of American chip factories

The Eindhoven chip company NXP Semiconductors is investing $ 22 million in its chip factories in Texas and Arizona in the US. The company will increase the production of secure ID chips for government applications.

Upon completion of the expansion plans, NXP’s Austin and Chandler manufacturing facilities will be certified to produce chips that meet the highest security and quality standards. That reports NXP. The American government will use the identification chips of the Eindhoven company for national security programs.

NXP is the market leader in identification chips. More than 120 countries worldwide apply the company’s technology to documents such as passports, driver’s licenses, and so on. NXP’s research centers in San Jose, Austin and Chandler now further meet the Common Criteria of safety requirements to produce the EAL6+ SmartMX microcontroller.

This microcontroller is a secure component that is used to enable contactless payment, electronic passports and NFC communication, among other things. NXP is an Eindhoven chip company that specializes in chips for identification, automotive and internet-of-things, among other things.

In October last year it was announced that Qualcomm wants to acquire NXP for 43 billion euros. In April this year, the US competition authorities cleared Qualcomm to acquire NXP. In early June, the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into the acquisition; there are concerns about possible effects on competition, such as higher prices for licensees.