When the Long Night of Research takes place throughout Austria on Friday, April 24, setting an example for the country’s innovative strength, AT&S will be there with a special highlight. This year at the Hinterberg site, the focus will be on artificial intelligence and the question of why modern AI would be inconceivable without highly developed microelectronics.
With the new competence center for research & development and IC substrate production, AT&S in Leoben is the first and only company in Europe to have local capacities for the development and production of IC substrates for high-performance microchips. It is precisely this key technology that is the focus of the public guided tours during the Long Night of Research, which AT&S offers in German or English in Hinterberg from 17:00. Registration is required for all visitors, which is available at Long Night of Research 2026 – AT&S Events.
From idea to high-performance chip
Along several stations, visitors will learn what an IC substrate is, why AI applications place particularly high demands on data transmission and energy efficiency and how AT&S is helping to shape the digital future with research and development. Experienced AT&S experts explain in detail how fine the structures of modern substrates already are today, why clean rooms must be cleaner than operating theaters and how it is possible to pack more and more power into ever smaller spaces.
Technology to marvel at and participate in
In addition to the guided tours, a varied supporting program invites visitors to discover: a 3D flight through the world of microelectronics, virtual reality experiences and interactive stations on the technological history of AT&S make complex high-tech topics tangible for young and old. Children from the age of ten can take part in the guided tours and all young guests can get hands-on with technology in the Pioneer Space at AT&S headquarters.
The Long Night of Research is Austria’s biggest event for science, research and innovation and takes place every two years in all federal states. With free admission, it provides insights into areas that otherwise usually remain hidden. AT&S uses this platform to show how intensive work is being done in Leoben on technologies that make artificial intelligence powerful, efficient and sustainable.