New R&D centre in Cork's Mahon is part of €60m investment plan

Infineon Technologies has officially opened a Cork-based research and development centre in Mahon.

The company, which is a global leader in power systems and Internet of Things (IoT), opened the new centre at City Gate Park recently, which comes as part of a €60m investment plan announced in 2024.

According to the organisation, the new hub will have capacity for growth, seeing several new hires join their team of 70 employees, which will focus on Infineon’s innovations in the automotive and consumer microelectronics space such as battery management, motor control, and touchscreens.

Supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland, the continued growth will include senior and junior positions as well as a strong contingent of local university graduates through the Infineon Ireland graduate programme.

Fine Gael Cork South Central TD Jerry Buttimer said this new centre “reflects the increasingly international nature of research and development, where teams collaborate across borders to solve shared technological challenges”.

“Infineon’s investment in Cork underlines Ireland’s role as a trusted partner in global innovation networks,” said Mr Buttimer.

Senior vice-president of development at Infineon, Thomas Mende, said the new office enables the company “to strengthen our team even further with the high-calibre talent that Ireland has to offer”.

“We are committed to actively driving decarbonisation and digitalisation,” Mr Mende said.

“As a global semiconductor leader for the automotive industry, we are shaping the future of mobility with products and solutions to make cars clean, safe, and smart.

“The strategic development of our research and development sector in Ireland is central to this mission with semiconductor-based system integration and AI for highly connected and increasingly autonomous vehicles being among major trends.”

Minister for enterprise tourism and employment Peter Burke TD said this investment “strengthens our position as a hub for cutting edge research and development in microelectronics and supports additional high quality jobs for both experienced engineers and new graduates”.

“The expansion reflects Ireland’s strong talent base and our growing role in advancing innovation across the automotive and consumer technology sectors,” said Mr Burke.

“We look forward to seeing the positive impact this centre will deliver for Cork, for Ireland’s technology ecosystem, and for the global transition toward digitalisation and decarbonisation.”

New positions at the hub have already been opened and include roles in analogue design, digital design, architecture, and verification.