The European Union has launched a €525 million initiative aimed at helping a new generation of chip-design companies grow and strengthening Europe’s position in the global semiconductor industry.
The European Commission unveiled the European Chip Design Platform on 4 November. The initiative is set to mobilise €440 million in grants and €85 million for the platform itself, which is designed to give companies access to resources that are often difficult for early-stage businesses to secure.
Those resources include chip-design tools, technical support, intellectual-property building blocks and access to manufacturing capacity. The Commission says the platform is intended to help start-ups and small and medium-sized companies turn designs into commercially viable products.
European chip-design firms currently account for less than 1% of global revenue in the segment, according to the Commission. The EU wants to strengthen the companies developing chip architectures while also creating demand for semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Europe.
The project forms part of the bloc’s wider effort to improve technological sovereignty and reduce strategic dependencies. With demand for chips rising across artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, Brussels is seeking to build a stronger link between European research, design businesses and production capacity.
