Sara, how would you describe yourself?
  • Optimizer
  • Solution finder
  • Developer
  • Gamer
  • Serial junkie
What is special about working at Infineon?

Infineon is a big, global company. Also here in Linz, we have colleagues from all over the world. So when I meet new people or visit another site, it is easy to connect and engage.

What are your main tasks?

In my job as Concept Engineer, I build an abstract model of the chips we design. I need a high-level understanding of the system and of how software and hardware work together.

Our team develops radar sensors that are used in automotive applications. My task is to create a simplified model of the radar chips we design, which consists of hardware and software.

The model mainly fulfills two purposes: Firstly, as the initial check of the whole system, it can be used to validate the concept of the chip. As a result, we can locate any problems in early development phases. Secondly, the software running on the chip can be tested before the real hardware is available.

My job is to understand the functionality of individual components of the system and how they interact with one another. I have to find out what details are relevant for the model and how to implement them.

What are the results of your work?

We develop automotive radar sensors that are used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like adaptive cruise control or collision avoidance. Our chips make cars safer and enable autonomous driving.

What are your job highlights?

There are always new challenges in our everyday work. Sometimes it’s difficult and time-consuming to find a solution. For me, though, I think it’s really exciting and satisfying to move towards a solution and see progress. As the saying goes: “the journey is the reward.”

When we finish a project and see that our chip works in real life, it connects the whole team.

We put in a lot of effort, and at the end of the day it is worth it. It’s a great feeling to know that we make life safer for people all over the world.

What are your biggest challenges?

Creating an abstract model might sound simple enough, but it can be quite difficult to break down a system into its essential features. If I recreate a functionality exactly as it is in real life, it would take much too much time to come up with a simulation model. On the other hand, if the model is too abstract, we could miss important aspects.

I have to sort out what details to include in the model and what to leave out. To be able to decide that, I align with the rest of my modelling team and colleagues from concept engineering, software development, and product design.

Hard or smart working? Why?

Smart. There is a saying that lazy engineers are the best. This is because they will avoid doing unnecessary work – instead they focus on finding an easy and maintainable solution. In the end, it costs some thinking time, but will speed up the process and prevent potential future problems.

A glimpse into the world of Infineon

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