Heidemarie Krüger

Prof. Heidemarie Krüger from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT) and the University of Jena is a visionary scientist specializing in advanced materials for quantum optics and edge AI. Her groundbreaking work has resulted in over 100 patents in the fields of atomic force microscopy, biochips, magneto-optics, single-photon detectors, and hardware for physical AI. Since completing her doctorate in solid-state physics at the University of Leipzig, Krüger has led various research teams in these fields and recognized that the gap between laboratory innovations and industrial applications is only now gradually closing.

In 2021, she co-founded TECHiFAB, a spin-off of the Helmholtz Research Center Dresden-Rossendorf. TECHiFAB is developing new hardware for physical AI that can perceive real-world interactions, react to them, and learn from them. TECHiFAB's hardware is based on TiF® technology. Accelerated by SPRIND, TECHiFAB is scaling TiF® technology to wafer-level CMOS manufacturing and testing the benefits of TECHiFAB's Physical AI hardware in collaboration with industry partners at the edge.

Today, the focus of physical AI hardware is shifting from traditional GPUs to specialized, ultra-low-power chips based on "physical" silicon technology. TECHiFAB plans to collaborate with industry partners to introduce and enable "physical" TiF® technology. The goal is to develop physical AI hardware that operates faster, more robustly, and more securely in real-world, unstructured environments.