Infineon Technologies AG today announced plans to expand its research and development activities in Singapore, investing approximately $271.1 million (200 million Euros) and adding about 150 new positions.

Infineon’s activity in the country is nothing new. The Munich, Germany-based logic player’s development center in Singapore opened in 1991 and provides IC and system development solutions in communication, automotive, industrial and security systems within the region. Currently, Infineon has more than 2,700 employees in Singapore of which more than 400 are R&D engineers. With the expansion, the R&D group will reach nearly 550 R&D engineers. The increase in headcount will be gradual over a three-year period to support the different phases of development, the company said.

More similar expansions are on the way, Infineon added. “Over the upcoming years, we will expand our R&D activities globally as our customers and their applications require more diversity and variety,” Wolfgang Ziebart, Infineon’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “This new R&D expansion in Singapore marks a significant step for Infineon in our growth in this region.”

According to Infineon, the Singapore expansion will allow the company to strengthen its development activities in a bevy of areas, including next-generation home-networking technologies, customer premises equipment, Internet access devices, mobile phone platforms, digital video broadcasting for mobile-TV, digital power control for power management, microcontroller for automotive and industrial applications, process technologies for wafer fabrication and packaging, and ASIC design.

The Singapore expansion is not the only Asia-based growth Infineon has announced in recent weeks. Last month, Infineon signed a memorandum of understanding with India-based semiconductor company Hindustan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to help create a ‘Fab City’ in India, which will involve the building of 10 fabs.