Infineon Technologies#Security flaw

{{short description|German semiconductor manufacturing company}}

{{About|the German corporation|the racing circuit once named after Infineon|Sonoma Raceway}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Infineon Technologies AG

| logo = Infineon-Logo.svg

| logo_upright = 1.0

| image = Campeon Neubiberg.jpg

| image_upright = 1.15

| image_caption = Infineon's headquarters "Campeon" in Neubiberg

| type = Public

| traded_as = {{ubl|{{FWB|IFX|isin=DE0006231004}}|DAX component}}

| foundation = {{start date and age|df=yes|1999|04|01}}

| location_city = Neubiberg

| location_country = Germany

| key_people = {{unbulleted list

| Jochen Hanebeck (CEO and Chairman of the executive board) {{cite news |title=Chipmaker Infineon ready to spend billions on acquisitions - CEO. |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/infineon-ready-spend-billions-acquisitions-ceo-2022-12-28/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |work=Reuters |date=28 December 2022}}

| Herbert Diess (Chairman of the supervisory board){{cite web|url=https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/CV-Dr.-Herbert-Diess-deutsch.pdf?fileId=8ac78c8b85ecb0c401865b575dc000b8|title=Dr. Herbert Diess|date=17 February 2023|access-date=1 December 2024}}

}}

| industry = Semiconductor

| products = {{unbulleted list

| Microcontrollers

| Telecommunications

| Integrated circuits

| Power electronics

| Transient-voltage-suppression diodes

}}

| revenue = {{Decrease}} {{€|14.96 billion|link=yes}} (2024)

| operating_income = {{Decrease}} {{€|2.190 billion}} (2024)

| net_income = {{Decrease}} {{€|1.301 billion}} (2024)

| assets = {{Increase}} {{€|28.64 billion}} (2024)

| equity = {{Increase}} {{€|17.22 billion}} (2024)

| num_employees = 58,065 (2024)

| homepage = {{url|https://www.infineon.com/|infineon.com}}

| footnotes =

| divisions = {{unbulleted list|Automotive|Green Industrial Power|Power & Sensor Systems|Connected Secure Systems}}

}}

Infineon Technologies AG is the largest microcontroller manufacturer in the world, as well as Germany's largest semiconductor manufacturer.{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Infineon Technologies |title=Infineon is the new market leader in the global microcontroller market - Infineon Technologies |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2025/INFXX202503-074.html |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.infineon.com |language=en}} It is also the leading automotive semiconductor manufacturer globally.{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Infineon Technologies |title=Infineon stärkt globale Marktführerschaft bei Automotive-Halbleitern, beflügelt von Platz 1 bei Mikrocontrollern - Infineon Technologies |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/de/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2025/INFATV202504-085.html |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.infineon.com |language=de}} Infineon had roughly 58,000 employees in 2024 and is one of the ten largest semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.{{Cite web|last=Infineon Technologies|date=|title=Key Figures 2024|url=https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/Infineon+Financial+Data+2020+%E2%80%93+2024.pdf?fileId=8ac78c8b92bced620193694d6cd20098|access-date=2025-03-09|website=Infineon.com}}{{Cite web|date=2024-02-14|title=Annual Report 2023|url=https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/Infineon+Annual+Report+2023.pdf?fileId=8ac78c8b8b657de2018bfceb193d00a8 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=Infineon.com}} The company was spun-off from Siemens AG in 1999.{{Cite web |date=1999-03-17 |title=Siemens names chip spinoff Infineon |url=https://www.eetimes.com/siemens-names-chip-spinoff-infineon/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=EE Times}} In 2024 the company achieved sales of approximately €15 billion.

Markets

Infineon markets semiconductors and systems for automotive, industrial, and multimarket sectors, as well as chip card and security products. Infineon has subsidiaries in the US in Milpitas, California and in the Asia-Pacific region, in Singapore, and Tokyo.

Infineon has a number of facilities in Europe, one in Dresden, Germany. Infineon's high power segment is in Warstein, Germany; Villach, Graz and Linz in Austria; Cegléd in Hungary; and Italy. It also operates R&D centers in France, Singapore, Romania, Taiwan, U.K., Ukraine{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/embed/u5pRO-WYQu8 |title=Infineon Site in Ukraine |access-date=31 December 2021 |publisher=Infineon Technologies}} and India, as well as fabrication units in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, and Hungary. There is a Shared Service Center in Porto, Portugal.{{cite web|url=https://empresite.jornaldenegocios.pt/INFINEON-TECHNOLOGIES-SHARED-SERVICE-CENTER.html|title=Infineon Technologies Shared Service Center}} Infineon is listed in the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2010, board member Klaus Wucherer was elected as successor to the then-current chairman Max Dietrich Kley.{{cite news|url=https://m.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/ratlosigkeit-im-fall-infineon-die-gescheiterte-rebellion-1355254.html|language=de |title=Ratlosigkeit im Fall Infineon: Die gescheiterte Rebellion |newspaper=Faz.net |date=12 February 2010 |last1=Köhn |first1=Rüdiger }} In 2023, it was Germany's largest chip manufacturer.{{Cite news |last=Eddy |first=Melissa |date=2023-03-27 |title=Germany Wants More Chip Makers, but They Won't Come Cheap |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/world/europe/germany-chips-subsidies.html |access-date=2023-03-28 |issn=0362-4331}} As of 2011, Infineon comprised four business areas after several restructurings:{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Infineon Technologies |date=2011 |title=Arunjai Mittal Becomes Management Board Member Responsible for Sales, Marketing and Strategy Development at Infineon - Industrial & Multimarket Business Divided into Two Divisions - Infineon Technologies |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2011/INFXX201110-008.html |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=www.infineon.com |language=en}}

= Automotive (ATV)=

Infineon provides semiconductor products for use in powertrains (engine and transmission control), comfort electronics (e.g., steering, shock absorbers, air conditioning), as well as in safety systems (ABS, airbags, ESP [electronic stability control]). The product portfolio includes microcontrollers, power semiconductors, and sensors. In the fiscal year 2018 (ending September), sales amounted to €3,284 million{{cite web |url=https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/Infineon+Annual+Report+2018.pdf?fileId=5546d461673c11be01673d9d98e40014 |title=Annual Report 2018 |access-date=13 December 2018 |publisher=Infineon Technologies}} for the ATV segment.ed

= Green Industrial Power (GIP) =

The industrial division of the company (named IPC until 2023){{cite web|url=https://www.powerelectronicsnews.com/green-industrial-power-infineons-decarbonization-initiative|title=Green Industrial Power: Infineon's Decarbonization Initiative}} includes power semiconductors and modules which are used for generation, transmission and consumption of electrical energy. Its application areas include control of electric drives for industrial applications and household appliances, modules for renewable energy production, conversion and transmission. The segment achieved sales of €1,323 million in fiscal year 2018.

= Power & Sensor Systems (PSS) =

The division, Power & Sensor Systems, sums up the business with semiconductor components for efficient power management or high-frequency applications. Those find application in lighting management systems and LED lighting, power supplies for servers, PCs, notebooks and consumer electronics, custom devices for peripheral devices, game consoles, applications in medical technology, high-frequency components having a protective function for communication and tuner systems and silicon MEMS microphones. In the fiscal year 2018, PSS generated €2,318 million.

= Connected Secure Systems (CSS) =

The CSS business provides microcontrollers for mobile phone SIM cards, payment cards, security chips and chips for passports, identity cards and other official documents. Infineon delivers a significant number of chips for the new German identity card.{{cite web |url=http://www.computerwoche.de/security/2359712/ |title=Infineon chips for the new identity cards |publisher= Computerwoche.de |language=de |access-date= 7 December 2010}} CSS achieved €664 million in fiscal year 2018. "Infineon is the number 1 in embedded security" (IHS, 2016 – IHS Embedded Digital Security Report).

Acquisitions and divestitures

Infineon bought the Taiwanese chip designer ADMtek in 2004.{{Cite web |title=Infineon to Acquire Taiwanese Chip Designer ADMtek - First Acquisition in Asia Strengthens Infineon´s Communications Business - Infineon Technologies |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/en/corporate/press/news/releases/2004/128207.html}}{{Cite web |date=29 January 2004 |title=Infineon buys ADMtek for US$100 million in cash - Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2004/01/29/2003096661}} In 2006, the former Memory Products division was carved out as Infineon's subsidiary Qimonda AG, of which Infineon last held a little over three-quarters. At its height Qimonda employed about 13,500 people; it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange until it filed for bankruptcy with the district court in Munich in January 2009.{{cite web |author=NYSE Regulation, Inc. |date=23 January 2009 |title=NYSE Suspends Qimonda AG, Moves to Remove from the List |url=https://www.nyse.com/press/1232709551165.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308104017/http://www.nyse.com/press/1232709551165.html |archive-date=8 March 2013 |access-date=16 March 2009 |publisher=NYSE}}

When Infineon sold Wireline Communications in July 2009 to Golden Gate Capital for €250 million,{{Cite web |title=Infineon verkauft Wireline Communications Geschäft an US-Investor - Infineon Technologies |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/de/corporate/press/news/releases/2009/INFXX200906-067.html}} the resulting company was named Lantiq. With around 1,000 employees,{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.elektroniknet.de/home/kommunikation/news/n/d/infineon-wireline-wird-lantiq |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327083942/http://www.elektroniknet.de/home/kommunikation/news/n/d/infineon-wireline-wird-lantiq/ |archive-date=27 March 2012 |access-date=2011-09-20}} Lantiq was acquired by Intel for US$345 million in 2015.{{Cite news |author=Jens Hack/Harro ten Wolde |date=2 February 2015 |title=Intel buys former Infineon 'Internet of Things' chip unit Lantiq |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lantiq-m-a-intel-idUSKBN0L60QB20150202 |access-date=2 February 2015}} Infineon's wireless business segment was sold to Intel in January 2011 for US$1.4 billion,{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Infineon Technologies |title=Intel to Acquire Infineon's Wireless Solutions Business - Infineon Technologies |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2010/INFXX201008-069.html |access-date=2019-07-26 |website=www.infineon.com}} with the new company that was formed, named Intel Mobile Communications (IMC).{{Cite web |title=Infineon schließt Verkauf des Mobilfunkgeschäfts an Intel ab – Neues Unternehmen Intel Mobile Communications GMBH nimmt Betrieb auf - Infineon Technologies |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/de/corporate/press/news/releases/2011/INFXX201101-018.html}}{{cite web |title=Intel buys Wireless Solutions section from Infineon |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/de/corporate/press/news/releases/2010/INFXX201008-069.html |access-date=11 September 2010 |publisher=Infineon.com}} IMC had approximately 3,500 employees. IMC's smartphone modem business was acquired by Apple Inc. in 2019.{{cite web |last1=Axon |first1=Samuel |date=25 July 2019 |title=Apple acquires Intel's 5G smartphone modem business for $1 billion |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/apple-acquires-intels-5g-smartphone-modem-business-for-1-billion/ |access-date=31 July 2019 |website=ars Technica}}

In August 2014 Infineon Technologies agreed to buy the International Rectifier Corporation (IR) for about US$3 billion,{{cite news |date=20 August 2014 |title=Infineon to Buy International Rectifier, a Chip Maker, for $3 Billion |publisher=Dealbook.nytimes.com |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/infineon-to-buy-international-rectifier-a-chip-maker-for-3-billion/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0}} one third by cash and two-thirds by credit line.{{cite web |author=Alex Sherman, Amy Thomson and Alex Webb |date=21 August 2014 |title=Infineon to Buy International Rectifier for $3 Billion |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-20/infineon-said-to-hold-talks-on-2-billion-u-s-chipmaker-deal.html |website=Bloomberg News}} The acquisition was officially closed on January 13, 2015.{{cite web |title=Infineon Technologies AG successfully acquires International Rectifier |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2015/INFXX201501-020.html}} In July 2016, Infineon agreed to buy Wolfspeed, a company in North Carolina, from Cree Inc. for US$850 million in cash, although the deal was eventually stopped due to U.S. security concerns.By Friedrich Geiger and Eyk Henning, Wall Street Journal. “[https://www.wsj.com/articles/infineon-close-to-announcing-acquisition-of-crees-wolfspeed-unit-1468490049 Infineon to Buy Cree’s Wolfspeed Unit for $850 Million ].” 14 July 2016. 25 July 2016.{{Cite news |date=16 February 2017 |title=Cree ends Wolfspeed deal with Infineon over U.S. security concerns |website=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wolfspeed-m-a-infineon-technol/cree-ends-wolfspeed-deal-with-infineon-over-u-s-security-concerns-idUSKBN15V2UY |access-date=2017-10-18}} In October 2016, Infineon acquired the company Innoluce, which has expertise in MEMS and LiDAR systems for use in autonomous cars. The MEMS lidar system is able to scan up to 5,000 data points a second with a range of 250 meters, with an expected unit cost of $250 in mass production.{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Infineon Technologies |title=Infineon strengthens leading position in automated driving through acquisition of Innoluce BV - Infineon Technologies |url=http://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2016/INFATV201610-002.html |access-date=2017-01-12 |website=www.infineon.com}}{{Cite news |date=24 December 2016 |title=A breakthrough in miniaturising lidars for autonomous driving |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21712103-new-chips-will-cut-cost-laser-scanning-breakthrough-miniaturising |access-date=2017-01-12}} Infineon Technologies AG sold its RF Power Business Unit in March 2018 to Cree Inc. for €345 million.{{Cite web |title=Cree Acquires Infineon's RF Business for €345 Million |url=https://www.everythingrf.com/News/details/5773-Cree-Acquires-Infineon-s-RF-Business-for-345-Million |access-date=2018-03-07 |website=everything RF}} Infineon announced in June 2019 that it would acquire Cypress Semiconductor for $9.4 billion.{{Cite news |date=3 June 2019 |title=Infineon Nears Deal to Buy Cypress Semiconductor |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-03/infineon-is-said-to-near-deal-to-acquire-cypress-semiconductor |access-date=2019-06-03}}{{Cite web |date=2019-06-02 |title=Infineon acquires Cypress Semiconductor for $9.4B |url=https://siliconangle.com/2019/06/02/report-infineon-close-buying-cypress-semiconductor-almost-10b/ |access-date=2019-06-24 |website=SiliconANGLE |language=en-US}} The acquisition closed on April 17, 2020.{{Cite web |title=Infineon completes acquisition of Cypress |url=https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20200417VL200.html |access-date=2020-04-17 |website=DIGITIMES |date=17 April 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2020-06-09|title=Company Presentation June 2020|url=https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/IFX_FY2020_Q2_Web_EN.pdf?fileId=5546d4615f9640f0015fb9c63a36005b |access-date=2020-06-09 |website=Infineon |archive-date=9 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609174700/https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/IFX_FY2020_Q2_Web_EN.pdf?fileId=5546d4615f9640f0015fb9c63a36005b|url-status=dead}}

In May 2023, Infineon acquired "tiny machine learning" company Imagimob, a Stockholm, Sweden–based company with a platform for development and deployment of AI applications.{{Cite news |date=2023-05-16 |title=Infineon acquires Tiny Machine Learning leader Imagimob to strengthen its offering in embedded AI solutions |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2023-05-16/infineon-acquires-tiny-machine-learning-leader-imagimob-to-strengthen-its-offering-in-embedded-ai-solutions |access-date=2023-09-27}} Infineon acquired GaN Systems, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, in October 2023.{{Cite news |date=2023-10-25 |title=Infineon completes acquisition of GaN Systems, becoming a leading GaN power house |work=Infineon.com |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-releases/2023/INFXX202310-014.html }} Infineon in 2023 acted on an expansion plan by investing EUR 5 billion into its semiconductor fab in Kulim, Malaysia.{{Cite web |title=German semiconductor firm Infineon invests almost RM25b in Malaysia, expands fab in Kulim|url=https://www.msn.com/en-my/lifestyle/other/german-semiconductor-firm-infineon-invests-almost-rm25b-in-malaysia-expands-fab-in-kulim/ar-AA1eM3Zt|access-date=2023-08-08|website=Microsoft Start}} As of 2023 Infineon plans to build two additional plants in Dresden for €5 billion, asking the government to subsidize it with €1 billion, financed through the €4 billion European Chips Act. It will employ 3000 people.

Financial data

class="wikitable"

|+Financial data in € billions

!Year

!2013

!2014

!2015

!2016

!2017

!2018{{Cite web|url=https://www.wallstreet-online.de/aktien/infineon-technologies-aktie/bilanz|title=Infineon Technologies Bilanz, Gewinn und Umsatz {{!}} Infineon Technologies Geschäftsbericht {{!}} 623100|website=wallstreet-online.de|access-date=2018-11-05}}

!2019

! scope="col" |2020

! scope="col" |2021

! scope="col" |2022

! scope="col" |2023

! scope="col" |2024

Revenue

|3.843

|4.320

|5.795

|6.473

|7.063

|7.599

|8.029

|8.567

|11.060

|14.218

|16.309

|14.995

Net income

|0.272

|0.535

|0.632

|0.743

|0.790

|1.075

|0.870

|0.368

|1.28

|2.179

|3.137

|1.301

Assets

|5.905

|6.438

|8.741

|9.087

|9.945

|10.879

|13.412

|21.999

|23.334

|26.912

|28.439

|28.639

Employees

|26,725

|29,807

|35,424

|36,299

|37,479

|40,100

|41,418

|46,665

|50,288

|56,194

|56,800

|56,065

Management

Here is the management of Infineon as of 2019:{{Cite news |date=14 March 2019 |title=Infineon names Linde's Schneider as next CFO |newspaper=Reuters |url=https://de.reuters.com/article/infineon-technol-management/infineon-names-lindes-schneider-as-next-cfo-idUKL8N2111OI |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607063357/https://de.reuters.com/article/infineon-technol-management/infineon-names-lindes-schneider-as-next-cfo-idUKL8N2111OI |archive-date=7 June 2019}}

  • Jochen Hanebeck (CEO)
  • Andreas Urschitz (CMO)
  • Rutger Wijburg (COO)
  • Elke Reichart (CDSO){{cite news |date= |title=Management Board |url=https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/company/management-board/elke-reichart/ |work=infineon.com |access-date=March 5, 2024}}
  • Sven Schneider (CFO)

Litigation

In 2004–2005, an investigation was carried out into a DRAM price fixing conspiracy during 1999–2002 that damaged competition and raised PC prices. As a result, Samsung paid a $300 million fine, Hynix paid $185 million, Infineon $160 million.{{cite web | url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2566841/technology-law-regulation/infineon-to-pay--160m-fine-for-dram-price-fixing.html | title=Infineon to pay $160M fine for DRAM price-fixing | first=Grant | last=Gross | date=15 September 2004 | work=Computerworld |publisher=IDG | access-date=23 January 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/atr/public/press_releases/2005/212002.htm | title=Samsung Agrees to Plead Guilty and to Pay $300 Million Criminal Fine for Role in Price Fixing Conspiracy }}

Security flaw

{{Main|ROCA vulnerability}}

In October 2017, it was reported that a flaw, dubbed ROCA, in a code library developed by Infineon, which had been in widespread use in security products such as smartcards and TPMs (Trusted Platform Modules), enabled private keys to be inferred from public keys. As a result, all systems depending upon the privacy of such keys were vulnerable to compromise, such as identity theft or spoofing. Affected systems include 750,000 Estonian national ID cards, 300,000 Slovak national ID cards,{{cite web |title=Slovak ID card security risk exposed |url=http://enrsi.rtvs.sk/articles/news/145779/slovak-id-card-security-risk-exposed |last=Gavin |first=Shoebridge |date=18 October 2017 |publisher=RTVS |access-date=2017-10-18}} and computers that use Microsoft BitLocker drive encryption in conjunction with an affected TPM.{{cite web |last1=Goodin |first1=Dan |title=Millions of high-security crypto keys crippled by newly discovered flaw |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/10/crypto-failure-cripples-millions-of-high-security-keys-750k-estonian-ids/ |work=Ars Technica |publisher=Condé Nast |date=16 October 2017 }} Microsoft released a patch that works around the flaw via Windows Update immediately after the disclosure.{{cite web |title=Infineon says has fixed encryption flaw found by researchers |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-infineon-cyber/infineon-says-has-fixed-encryption-flaw-found-by-researchers-idUSKBN1CL2KC |last=Busvine |first=Douglas |date=16 October 2017 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=2017-10-20}}

Notes

{{Reflist}}