On Nov. 4, the Commission announced a program to give startups access to chip-development and production resources, saying European firms generate under 1% of worldwide revenue from chip design.
The European Chip Design Platform is intended to provide startups and small and medium-sized enterprises with chip-design tools, technical support, intellectual-property blocks and manufacturing capacity. The Commission says early-stage businesses can struggle to obtain these resources because of their cost and limited availability.
The launch announcement says the Commission will mobilize €525 million for the initiative. The platform fact page lists €500 million in public investment, and the Commission’s pages do not explain the difference. The announcement provides no breakdown that reconciles the two totals.
The fact page sets grant ceilings of up to €100,000 for early-stage startups and up to €16 million for mature startups. Neither official page names grant recipients or reports disbursements.
The Commission says European chip-design companies account for less than 1% of global revenue in the segment. The Commission did not identify the period covered by its estimate.
The Commission describes chip design as a key stage in the semiconductor value chain. It says additional manufacturing capacity in Europe will need sufficient demand, including demand from European companies that develop chips. The Commission’s rationale links support for chip designers with the need to find customers for new production capacity.
The platform pairs support at the design stage with access to manufacturing capacity, which the Commission says could help expand Europe’s pool of chip developers alongside investment in production. European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said the platform would help startups and small and medium-sized enterprises “turn their innovative ideas into silicon.” The launch announcement gives no timetable for awards.
