New High-Tech Labo­ra­tory in Graz: SAL Opens Vali­da­tion Lab for Elec­tronics

On April 9, the re­search center Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) opened its new Vali­da­tion Lab at its Graz site. In this high-tech labo­ra­tory, sensors and elec­tronic systems are tested under real­istic and extreme envi­ron­mental condi­tions. The goal is to improve the reli­a­bility and service life of modern elec­tronics and to bring inno­va­tions into appli­ca­tion more quickly.

With the opening of the new Vali­da­tion Lab, SAL has achieved another mile­stone for Austria as a re­search and tech­nology loca­tion. In the lab, elec­tronic compo­nents are delib­er­ately exposed to extreme condi­tions — ranging from severe temper­a­ture fluc­tu­a­tions and high humidity to mechan­ical stress and vibra­tions. This allows devel­opers to verify, already during the devel­op­ment phase, whether sensors and elec­tronic systems func­tion reli­ably under real oper­ating condi­tions.

“Inno­va­tions in micro­elec­tronics are a key driver of our coun­try's compet­i­tive­ness. It is no coin­ci­dence that we have iden­ti­fied elec­tronic compo­nents and systems as one of nine key tech­nolo­gies and areas of strength in our indus­trial strategy. With the Vali­da­tion Lab, Austria is estab­lishing a vital infra­struc­ture to bring new tech­nolo­gies to market more quickly while ensuring their quality and dura­bility,”stresses Innovation Minister Peter Hanke.

Test Environment for Research and Industry

The Vali­da­tion Lab enables compre­hen­sive testing under controlled condi­tions — such as in climate cham­bers or through vibra­tion and shock tests. For example, temper­a­tures ranging from minus 70 to plus 180 degrees Celsius can be simu­lated, and their effects on elec­tronic systems during oper­a­tion can be analyzed.

“With the Vali­da­tion Lab, we are expanding our re­search infra­struc­ture with a specific focus on appli­ca­tion. We are bridging the gap between scien­tific devel­op­ment and indus­trial imple­men­ta­tion, thereby strength­ening our role as an inno­va­tion partner for the busi­ness commu­nity,”, erklärt Chris­tina Hirschl, Geschäfts­füh­rerin SAL.

Reliability and longevity as keys to sustainable technologies

In addi­tion to SAL’s own re­search activ­i­ties, the labo­ra­tory will also be avail­able to part­ners from industry and acad­emia, allowing them to test their prod­ucts under real­istic condi­tions. The focus is on durable and sustain­able elec­tronics solu­tions that must func­tion reli­ably even under extreme condi­tions — such as in the auto­mo­tive industry, energy tech­nology, or aero­space.

“In our Vali­da­tion Lab, we specif­i­cally simu­late the stresses that elec­tronics are exposed to in real-world appli­ca­tions — from extreme temper­a­tures to severe vibra­tions. This allows us to iden­tify early on how systems behave and opti­mize their service life in a targeted manner,”, so Rudolf Heer, Leiter des Bereichs Elec­tronic Sensors bei SAL.

About Silicon Austria Labs (SAL)

Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) was founded in 2018 as a top non-univer­sity re­search center in the field of Elec­tronics and Soft­ware Based Systems. At its loca­tions in Graz, Villach and Linz, re­search is conducted on key tech­nolo­gies in the fields of Microsys­tems, Sensor Systems, Power Elec­tronics, Intel­li­gent Wire­less Systems and Embedded Systems. SAL brings together key players from industry and science and thus valu­able exper­tise and know-how, and conducts coop­er­a­tive, appli­ca­tion-oriented re­search along the value chain. The aim is to accel­erate the value creation process from idea to inno­va­tion – with excel­lent re­search and economic bene­fits. Owners are the Republic (50.1%), the Provinces of Styria and Carinthia (10% each), the Province of Upper Austria (4.95%) and the Asso­ci­a­tion for the Elec­tric and Elec­tronics Industry (24.95%).