By: Nana Appiah
Acquaye
The European Union has
launched a European Chip Design Platform, backed by more than €520 million in
investment mobilised by the EU and its member states, to support semiconductor
startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing innovative
chip designs and bringing them to market.
The platform, launched this
week under the European Chips Act, is designed to help emerging companies
overcome barriers to turning their innovative ideas into silicon and support
the development of a new generation of European chip design companies.
Announcing the initiative,
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and
Democracy at the European Commission, said the platform would provide a
one-stop shop for startups and SMEs seeking access to essential chip design resources
and services.
Accessible through the
cloud, the platform will offer chip design tools, design support services,
intellectual property (IP) blocks and access to manufacturing capacity.
To encourage early adoption,
the EU is offering grants of up to €100,000 to early-stage startups to support
proof-of-concept prototyping.
More mature startups will
also be eligible for funding of up to €16 million to help cover the substantial
costs of chip development towards commercialisation.
By providing access to
design infrastructure, technical support and funding, the platform aims to
reduce barriers to entry and enable more European startups to translate
semiconductor innovations into commercially viable products.
