ZMD
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- For ZMD, see also Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland
Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZMD AG) is a semiconductor manufacturer based in Dresden. In the 1980s, ZMD was regarded as the heart of the GDR-microelectronics research. ZMD was founded as part of VEB Kombinat Robotron in 1961. In 1969 (the year AMD was founded) the company operated under the name Arbeitsgemeinschaft Molekularelektronik Dresden. ZMD produced the GDR's first 1-megabyte DRAM in 1988. However, serial production was not achieved by 1990. ZMD GmbH (the predecessor of the current corporation) was founded in 1993 and in December 2001 the company became an "AG".
Today, the company has about 625 employees, of which around 250 are engineers working mainly in product development. ZMD innovations are used in automotive and industrial electronics, medical technology and for infrared interfaces (IrDA), for example in mobile phones and laptops. The company has successfully specialised in the design, production and marketing of heavy duty, mixed analogue-digital, application-specific circuits (ASICs) and application specific standard products (ASSPs) with low energy consumption. As a result, ZMD has accelerated the development of the most modern mixed-signal systems on chip (SoC). The main focus of these developments is applications for the automobile sector: ZMD has maintained a leading position in this area for several years, now and aims to be market leader for automotive sensor systems on chip for “x by wire" applications.
The company's headquarters are in Dresden, Germany. ZMD runs sales operations in the USA with offices in Santa Clara (CA), San Diego (CA) and Melville (NY), in Stuttgart and Dresden, Germany. It has Design Centres in the USA in Madison (WI) and also in Dresden and Stuttgart.
[edit] ZFOUNDRY
ZFOUNDRY, a 100% subsidiary company, manufactures ZMD AG’s products and is responsible for all necessary subcontract services, such as assembly and test. Its production capacity is also offered worldwide for analog, mixed-signal and power management. The strategic partnership undersigned with 1st Silicon (Malaysia) in January 2005 will lead to a flexible 0.18µm process platform for automotive applications. The planned availability for two independent sources (Dresden and Kuching) of complex, high-voltage and mixed-signal technologies guarantee a future oriented and assured supply for automotive customers.
[edit] Silicon Saxony
ZMD is said to be the cradle of the Saxon microelectronics industry and is a founder of the largest European semiconductors cluster, “Silicon Saxony”, which was founded in 2000. ZMD's CEO and President, Thilo von Selchow, is also the CEO and President of the Silicon Saxony association.
