Texas Instruments celebrates the 50th anniversary of the registration of its first business operations in Europe in November 1956.

The first subsidiary to be set up was Texas Instruments Ltd, located in Bedford, UK. Today, TI’s presence in Europe and the Middle East includes over 30 sites in 19 different countries, including 13 R&D centers, an advanced wafer fabrication site and a worldwide business & competency center.

The wafer fab in Freising, Germany, focuses on BiCMOS/CMOS wafer production and highly complex components on 200mm wafers using 0.25 micron technology. TI has been present in Germany since 1961 and started semiconductor manufacturing there in 1966.

The worldwide Wireless Communications business & competency center in Villeneuve-Loubet, France, plays a central role in TI’s wireless semiconductor leadership. Thanks to the development of wireless expertise at the Villeneuve-Loubet site, which opened in 1964, and the presence of major OEMs such as Nokia and Ericsson in the Europe region, TI today is the leading manufacturer of Wireless semiconductor solutions with more than 2.2 billion handsets shipped based on TI Wireless technology.

The MOS design center is specialized in combining analog and digital design techniques. It is located in Northampton, UK.

“When TI decided to expand to the European market in the 1950’s, we believed the region offered huge potential, both in terms of growth opportunities and creative energy,” said Rich Templeton, TI CEO. “Europe represents an exciting diversity of cultures and talents, and I’m proud to see how our team there has built on their strengths to become a vital part of TI. Plus, our Europe team’s spirit of innovation, developed within the company’s business culture of commitment, ethics and integrity will continue to be at the core of our success in the future.”

In addition to providing worldwide competency in the development of high-performance analog products, microcontrollers and digital signal processors, TI EMEA has been a strong driver of TI’s success in the wireless communications market. Major TI customers in the region today include wireless OEM leaders such as Nokia and Ericsson, as well as major European automotive manufacturers and leading companies in the industrial and consumer arena.

“TI Europe - now TI EMEA - continues to play a critical role in TI’s worldwide success,” said Jean-Francois Fau, TI EMEA President. “With our unique approach of combining close customer relationships with a continuous desire to understand their needs and enable their success, we have been able to draw out the huge potential of a diverse and highly innovative region. I look forward to an exciting future.”