[News] STMicroelectronics Joins Panel-Level Packaging Race with New French Pilot Line, Launching 3Q 2026

As leading foundries and packaging giants such as TSMC and ASE ramp up panel-level packaging (PLP) capacity, STMicroelectronics has emerged as an unexpected contender. The company announced it will establish a new pilot line at its Tours site in France to advance next-generation PLP technology, with operations slated to begin in Q3 2026.

PLP, which replaces circular wafers with large rectangular carriers, boosts manufacturing efficiency and lowers costs. Building on its first-gen line in Malaysia and its global R&D network, the company now seeks to extend PLP into automotive, industrial, and consumer markets, reinforcing its edge in advanced packaging, STMicroelectronics notes.

According to the company, backed by more than $60 million in investment, the Tours PLP pilot line forms part of ST’s broader effort to reshape its global manufacturing footprint.

STMicroelectronics highlights that its PLP technology centers on Direct Copper Interconnect (DCI), replacing traditional wire or solder bump connections with direct copper links to the substrate. The company says this approach boosts reliability, cuts resistance and inductance losses, improves heat dissipation, and enables further miniaturization—ultimately delivering higher power density for next-generation devices.

Job-Cut Concerns Loom

Notably, as Reuters reported earlier this week, the company vowed to avoid job cuts in Italy. With Italy and France jointly holding 27.5% of STMicro, the company confirmed that redundancies will be excluded under a voluntary departure plan, the report added.

According to Reuters, STMicroelectronics also indicated it may expand the Agrate site in Italy after 2027, pending a feasibility study, while no structural changes are planned for its other Italian sites.

Back in April, the company reportedly announced that voluntary departures would reduce 1,000 positions in France, part of a broader plan to cut 2,800 roles outside of normal attrition, while talks with Italian authorities were underway.

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(Photo credit: STMicroelectronics)