© Siemens

In the 1990s, the cost of testing chips threatened to exceed the cost of manufacturing them. Inventor of the Year Dr. Janusz Rajski (68) from Digital Factory has developed a test procedure that uses data compression to work up to 100 times faster than conventional methods. According to Siemens, the invention caused quite a stir in the semiconductor industry because 'TestKompress' made highly integrated chips affordable. For Rajski, his education in mathematics and physics in Poland is still the basis of his success today. Rajski is being honored in the 'Lifetime achievement' category.