The European Commission has hosted a ceremonial event to mark the launch of the first five pilot lines under the Chips for Europe Initiative.
This milestone event is bringing together Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, leading representatives from research and technology organisations driving the pilot lines, representatives from the Member States, and the Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking. The event took place on Thursday, 16 January, at the European Commission headquarters in Berlaymont, Brussels, and the occasion is featuring a ceremonial celebration and a roundtable discussion on the future of European semiconductors.
The launch of these pilot lines represents a major step forward for Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, aligning with the European Chips Act’s strategy to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial-scale manufacturing. This initiative underscores Europe’s commitment to master advanced chip technologies. The pilot lines are supported by a total of EUR 3.7 billion in funding, comprising contributions from the European Union through the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe Programmes, as well as commensurate investments from participating Member States.
Focusing on five key areas – beyond 2nm leading-edge system-on-chip, fully depleted silicon-on-insulator applications, advanced packaging, wide band gap materials, and photonic integrated circuits – the pilot lines will act as collaborative hubs for research institutions, academia, and industry. Following their initial setup, the pilot lines will provide open access to state-of-the-art research facilities, accelerating experimentation, process development, and validation of cutting-edge semiconductor technologies. This effort is designed to foster technological capacity, strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness, and drive innovation across diverse sectors.
Read more about the Chips for Europe Initiative.
Source: European Commission | Shaping Europe’s Digital future | News & Views (https://shorturl.at/Vt1B7)