● It will establish an engineering center in the Region of Murcia that will be able to design, characterize and commercialize microcontrollers and safe elements for automotive and IoT, in line with the strategy of strengthening the strategic sovereignty of Spain and Europe.
● It expects to generate 152 direct jobs and 456 indirect jobs.
● The Government of Spain takes a new step in its strategy to strengthen the promotion of industrial initiatives in strategic sectors such as semiconductors and cybersecurity, thus enhancing industrial autonomy and Spanish and European technological sovereignty
Quantix Edge Security has formalized today in Murcia its constitution as a company and has held its first board of directors. With this last administrative step, it is launching an initiative that plans to mobilize 40 million euros of investment, of which 19.6 million are contributed by the State entering the capital of the company through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT).
The project was born with the aim of promoting an engineering center in the Region of Murcia to design, validate, characterize and characterize microcontrollers and secure elements for key sectors such as automotive or the Internet of Things (IoT).
Quantix Edge Security arises from the agreement as industrial partners of four companies specialized in technology and cybersecurity sectors. Two of them are national firms, TProtege and Odin Solutions, spin off of the University of Murcia; and two are international, the Swiss company WiseKey and the French firm SealQ.
The forecasts of this new society suggest that the future center could generate the creation of 152 direct high-skilled jobs within a five-year horizon. In addition, it is estimated that the total number of indirect and induced jobs in support, maintenance and logistics will exceed 450 jobs. As for the expected fiscal and economic impact, a contribution to GDP of 793 million euros per fifth year is estimated.
First Board of Directors
After the notary signing of the company’s constitution, the first board of directors of Quantix Edge Security was held, which was attended by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz; the Rector of the University of Murcia, José Lujan; the General Director of SETT, Javier Ponce; the directors of WiseKey and CsQ, Carlos Moreira, John O'Hara and Bernard Vian, the CEO of Odin Solutions, José Trigueros; and Meta Researcher.
Next, the directors of this board of directors have been appointed. As representatives of OdinS and TProtege, José Lujan and José Trigueros have been assigned as delegates. On behalf of SETT, José María García Orois and Fernando Javier Valdés will be on the board of directors, while on behalf of WiseKey and SealQ, they will be Carlos Moreira and John O’Hara.
Boosting Technological Sovereignty
With this entry into the capital in Quantix and its constitution, the Government of Spain takes a new step in its strategy to strengthen the promotion of industrial initiatives in strategic sectors such as semiconductors and cybersecurity. The initiative is in line with the objective of the PERTE Chip to reduce dependence on external suppliers and reinforce industrial autonomy and technological sovereignty in Spain and Europe.
In the emergence of this company, the transfer of knowledge generated through the different investments that from the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function have been destined to the University of Murcia (UMU) in recent years has been key. More than 3.25 million euros have been allocated to projects for the development of new technologies and the intelligent management of threats and security countermeasures; in addition to other grants of up to 356,763 euros to the company Odin Solutions for experimental developments.
The Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz, has celebrated that “Quantix is going to contribute in strategic sovereignty of Spain in key issues such as semiconductors and cybersecurity. And for the Region of Murcia it will become a milestone in the transfer of knowledge from the university to the business fabric and a model to follow in promoting talent and quality employment. The Spanish Government has spent years investing in research to generate added value and offer quality employment opportunities throughout the territory.”
For his part, Carlos Moreira, founder and CEO of WISeKey, has emphasized strategic importance, considering that “in today’s technological world, control over the supply of semiconductors is not only an economic advantage, it is a national security imperative. Quantix Edges empowers Spain to establish a localized cybersecurity and semiconductor customization center, ensuring uninterrupted access to these critical components."
Finally, Jose Trigueros, CEO of OdinS has emphasized that “the Cybersecurity and Semiconductor Personalization Center of the Region of Murcia includes a comprehensive solution that covers secure elements, cryptographic keys and hardware security modules. The initiative is not just about technology transfer; it includes full hardware and software provision, training and ongoing support. This holistic approach is aimed at strengthening industries such as automotive, aerospace and health, where safe and reliable microchips are indispensable."