GPS World

Tag: Qualinx

  • With EUSPA support, Qualinx integrates Galileo OSNMA to receiver

    With EUSPA support, Qualinx integrates Galileo OSNMA to receiver

    The QLX3Gx chip makes secure, authenticated positioning a standard feature

    Qualinx has integrated support for the Galileo OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) on its QLX3Gx Series ultra-low-power GNSS receiver.

    Developed with the support of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the integration makes the QLX3Gx a GNSS receiver purpose-built for ultra-low-power markets to deliver hardware-native OSNMA support as a standard feature across the entire product family.

    Qualinx has embedded OSNMA support directly into the QLX3Gx hardware architecture from the ground up, enabling a fully optimized design with zero trade-offs in power consumption, cost or performance. 

    “Authenticated positioning has for too long been out of reach for the devices that need it most,” said Qualinx CEO Tom Trill. “By building OSNMA support into the QLX3Gx at the hardware level from day one, we’re making trusted positioning the default — not a premium option — for the wearables, asset trackers and IoT devices that make up the bulk of the GNSS market.” 

    The partnership with EUSPA reflects a shared commitment to disseminating Galileo’s advanced security capabilities across the widest possible range of applications and markets. EUSPA identifies OSNMA as a strategic priority for improving resilience against spoofing and signal manipulation

    According to the EU Space Market Report 2026, global GNSS revenues are projected to grow from €300 billion in 2024 to €580 billion by 2034 with mass-market devices accounting for the largest share of shipments and representing the greatest growth potential.

    Through Qualinx’s digital radio-frequency technology, the QLX3Gx delivers up to 10× lower power consumption than conventional GNSS solutions. By integrating OSNMA natively in hardware, the chip eliminates the processing overhead typically associated with authentication, ensuring security adds no meaningful cost to the power budget.

    The chip’s reconfigurable digital RF architecture enables capabilities to be updated over time without hardware replacement — extending device lifecycles, cutting electronic waste, and lowering overall energy consumption. The result is a platform that makes connected devices more secure and sustainable. 

    The QLX3Gx chip is available for sampling, with mass production planned for the second half of this year. Developers and OEMs can register interest in the Qualinx QLX3Gx Evaluation Kit to secure hands-on evaluation of the QLX3Gx for upcoming consumer, industrial and mobility applications. Contact [email protected] to register interest and request a sample, or learn more at Qualinx.io. 

  • Chipmakers demonstrate European-only manufacture of security-critical GNSS chip

    Chipmakers demonstrate European-only manufacture of security-critical GNSS chip

    A sophisticated GNSS system-on-chip design for secure positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) applications is the first fully European-based, end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing flow.

    Its manufacture demonstrates that security-critical chips for aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure can be designed, manufactured and delivered entirely within Europe.

    The QLX3xx design targets sovereign GNSS-based PNT solutions for aerospace, defense and critical infrastructures — such as resilient timing and synchronization networks and highly integrated, ultra-low-power GNSS receivers at the connected edge.

    In a partnership co-funded by the European Chips Act, GlobalFoundries’ Dresden site is establishing its European sovereign manufacturing flow, consolidating every step of the production process — from design intake and mask services to wafer manufacturing — within the European Union. No sensitive design data or physical materials leave Europe, meeting the strict regulatory and security requirements of European governments, defense agencies, system integrators and critical infrastructure operators. Qualinx served as the launch customer.

    The tape‑out realized with Qualinx represents the first operational milestone on the path toward a fully automated, trusted European flow, which GlobalFoundries aims to establish in Dresden by the end of 2026.

    Starting in 2027, aerospace and defense, as well as critical infrastructure customers, will be able to use this automated flow as part of regular foundry engagements, including the integration of European IP partners, mask houses and OSAT service providers to ensure a consistent, European-anchored value chain.

    A number of European system and module manufacturers from aerospace and defense, as well as operators of critical infrastructure, are in discussions with GlobalFoundries to map upcoming product generations onto GlobalFoundries’s sovereign manufacturing flow. The successful start with Qualinx serves as a strong proof point and reduces both technical and regulatory risks for subsequent programs.

    GlobalFoundries is also working with European connectivity and cloud providers to secure data flows across the entire semiconductor value chain. In a joint project with Deutsche Telekom, GlobalFoundries is assessing how production-related data from design and tape-out through manufacturing, test and quality can be processed, transported and stored entirely within Europe on European networks, cloud infrastructures and data centers.

    The resulting practices in secure data routing, encryption and access management for highly sensitive A&D and critical infrastructure workloads will feed directly into the scaling of GlobalFoundries’ European sovereign manufacturing model.

  • Qualinx launches reconfigurable GNSS chip and developer kit

    Qualinx launches reconfigurable GNSS chip and developer kit

    Qualinx will showcase its market-ready 1 mW QLX3Gx Series GNSS chip with its dynamic reconfigurable architecture, along with a developer evaluation kit (EVK), at Embedded World 2026 taking place March 10-12 in Nuremberg.

    The QLX3Gx EVK enables OEMs to directly validate Qualinx’s power-to-performance leadership and integration readiness in real-world device environments across IoT, UAVs, wearables, asset tracking, mobility and infrastructure applications. Additional demos include ultra-low-power GNSS powered by Dragonfly Digital RF, on-chip Galileo authentication with EUSPA’s OSNMA, QLX3AX AFE flexibility, beacon-to-beacon communication and sustainable smartwatch integration.

    1 mW GNSS Powered by Dragonfly

    Qualinx’s patented Dragonfly Digital Radio Frequency (DRF) architecture is at the core of the QLX3GX chip and shifts traditionally analog RF functions into the digital domain, an approach that brings RF back in line with Moore’s Law and, as such, significantly reduces power consumption without compromising performance.

    Market-ready and built for scale, the highly integrated chip combines an ultra-low-power digital RF front end with an advanced GNSS digital baseband engine, ready for high-volume production and OEM deployment.

    Additionally, the Dragonfly architecture enables dynamic, over-the-air (OTA) reconfiguration of the device throughout its lifecycle, eliminating substantial cost and complexity from customers’ supply chains and sparking new cycles of downstream product innovation, all from a single chip.

    Supported by a European-designed GNSS architecture engineered for industry-leading power-to-performance versatility, hardware-level security and resilience, tracking is performed natively on-chip rather than in the cloud, further improving resilience to spoofing, jamming and interference.

    Live demonstrations planned

    Live demos at Embedded World 2026 highlight Qualinx’s performance and agility, and reinforce the company’s strategy to redefine connectivity by ensuring ultra-low-power, secure, and reconfigurable GNSS is accessible at scale:

    • QLX3Gx developer evaluation kit (EVK). Hands-on validation of real-world power consumption, reconfigurability and integration readiness.
    • Ultra-low-power GNSS powered by Dragonfly Digital RF. The 1 mW operating mode reduces one of the largest energy drains in connected systems, enabling longer battery life, smaller form factors and lower carbon footprint.
    • Qualinx Transmit. Qualinx will demonstrate that the same chip used for beacon-to-beacon collaboration can enable a range of new applications in which devices work together as an intelligent swarm, accelerating the deployment of ambient IoT.
    • Galileo OSNMA authentication with EUSPA. With more than 4 billion devices connected to Galileo, Qualinx on-chip navigation message authentication strengthens protection against spoofing among connected devices while reinforcing alignment with Europe’s sovereign Galileo infrastructure.
    • QLX3AX analog front end (AFE). A dynamic OTA reconfigurable AFE supporting multiple radio technologies for specialized receivers and custom systems.
    • Wearable integration display. Smartwatch-class form-factor readiness, validating compact footprint and suitability for IoT and wearable devices.

    The availability of the QLX3Gx GNSS chip and EVK follows the recent announcement of a €20M investment round to support and accelerate Qualinx’s growth and international expansion. As governments and enterprises reassess their exposure to fragile, globally concentrated semiconductor supply chains, Qualinx stands out as a European deep-tech company that combines European IP and manufacturing, with hardware-level security that delivers resilient, ultra-low-power connectivity and does not rely on cloud-based processing.

    All Qualinx chips, including the QLX3Gx GNSS chip, are designed and manufactured in Europe, anchoring production within the EU and reducing supply chain risk.

    OEMs are invited to register their interest in the Qualinx developer EVK at Embedded World, from 10-12 March at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Hall 3, Booth 2211, to secure hands-on evaluation of the QLX3Gx GNSS chip for upcoming consumer, industrial, and mobility applications ahead of mass production this year. Contact [email protected] to schedule a media interview.