Infineon’s Startup Challenge brings collectively promising founder groups and younger high-tech firms from throughout the globe to work collectively on a extremely related matter: humanoid robotics.
The Problem is a structured innovation program designed to develop technological ideas into market-ready purposes. It’s a part of Infineon’s international Co‑Innovation Program, by which Infineon drives innovation along with startups as a expertise and improvement associate.
Sören Jehmlich, vice chairman ventures, startups and ecosystems at Infineon, says: “Semiconductors are the muse of humanoid robotics and a key progress driver.
“Strategic collaboration with startups creates a win-win scenario, combining novel concepts with industrially confirmed semiconductor applied sciences and thereby accelerating revolutionary, market-ready purposes on this future-oriented area.
“Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation, however quite the place our prospects’ challenges meet entrepreneurial braveness, technological experience and fast implementation. The Startup Problem is due to this fact a key pillar of our innovation tradition.”
Technological focus areas of the problem
The 2026 Problem is geared toward rising expertise firms engaged on options for humanoid robotics, notably within the following areas:
- Synthetic sensing: digital pores and skin and hand ideas primarily based on superior sensor expertise
- Environmental and situational notion utilizing digital camera, radar, microphone and sensor fusion options
- Digital suggestions and interplay mechanisms, for instance utilizing laser beam scanning projectors
- Revolutionary motor management and movement applied sciences for exact, dynamic operations
Dirk Geiger, senior director and workforce lead humanoid robotics at Infineon, says: “Humanoid robotics – or extra broadly, bodily AI – is a related matter for Infineon.
“On this younger and dynamic market phase specifically, our semiconductor merchandise provide clear benefits as system options for growing robotic purposes: for instance, in energy-efficient and exact actuation, sensing for environmental notion and system connectivity.
“Within the Infineon Startup Problem, younger expertise firms can remodel their concepts into actual, scalable purposes utilizing our {hardware} and software program demo kits.”
From utility to industrial utility
Bold startups can submit their concepts up till 27 Could 2026. Following the applying section, an professional jury will conduct a multi-stage choice course of.
The groups chosen will participate in a multi-month expertise and improvement program, acquire entry to Infineon applied sciences, prototyping kits in addition to {hardware} and software program options and can take part in pitch occasions and workshops.
Moreover, the groups will obtain technical help and mentoring for prototype improvement, in addition to enterprise and presentation coaching.
This system concludes with demo and pitch classes, the place outcomes are introduced to an professional viewers of trade representatives, deep-tech buyers and decision-makers.
Robust associate community and professional jury
This system is being applied along with a community of expertise, trade and financing companions. The jury combines deep technological experience with entrepreneurial and strategic funding know-how.
A key part of the Problem is direct interplay with buyers and financing companions from the deep-tech and innovation ecosystem. The aim is to make promising applied sciences seen at an early stage and help them throughout progress and scaling.
This system is supported inside the framework of the Vital Undertaking of Widespread European Curiosity (IPCEI) for microelectronics and laptop expertise, which promotes the event of European innovation ecosystems, and different sources.
