Infineon merges sensor and RF businesses

Infineon Technologies has formed a new business unit out of its Sensor and Radio Frequency (RF) operations.

The SURF (Sensor Units & Radio Frequency) business is part of the Power & Sensor Systems (PSS) division and includes the former Automotive and Multi-market Sense & Control businesses. It started operation at the beginning of January 2025.

Combining its sensor and RF expertise will provide cost and R&D synergies and provide cross-selling opportunities, says the company. Infineon’s market research sees the combined sensor and RF markets exceeding $20bn by 2027

“With the new business unit, we are addressing the growing demand for sensors and RF solutions, driven by trends such as green energy, clean and safe mobility, and smart and secure IoT,” says Dr. Thomas Schafbauer, Head of SURF business unit at Infineon. He was previously chief operating officer of the connected secure systems division.

“Our dedicated business unit for sensors and RF allows for the expansion of our sales activities and combines our innovation capabilities, offering even more differentiated system solutions for our automotive, consumer and industrial customers,” he added

A key driver for the growth is devices with higher levels of intelligence and autonomy for context-aware operation.

Infineon’s microphones based on high-end microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are used in smartphones, wearables, and smart speakers, enabling AI-based language solutions for enhanced consumer experience, while its radar chips enable reliable object recognition e.g. in autonomous driving. In electric cars and industrial automation, magnetic sensors are key enablers for controlling motion precisely and its current sensors allow for better energy-efficiency in power inverters and batteries.

This comes as Syntiant takes over the consumer microphone business of Knowles.