Authorities should primarily order their processors from EU start-ups. In addition, environmental permits for chip factories should be issued more quickly. With these measures, the EU Commission would like to support semiconductor production in the Union, reports Reuters. A second chip law is in the works.
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For strategic reasons, the European Union wants to double its global market share in semiconductor production from ten to 20 percent by 2030. For this purpose, EU Regulation 2021/694, known as the “Chips Act”, came into force on September 21, 2023. Billions are already available for funding for research, development and manufacturing, but also for start-ups, scale-ups and advances in the supply chain. The regulation has not yet met the expectations placed on it; for example, several large projects have been canceled despite billions in promised subsidies.
But the regulation hasn’t had much time to take effect. Because this is urgent, a second chip law is now being prepared and the EU Commission is preparing further measures. Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen is working on corresponding proposals and would like to present them on June 3rd.
Internal document leaked
An internal document on this has now been leaked to the Reuters news agency. She reports that the EU Commission wants to speed up the environmental approval procedures for systems in the processor production chain. Above all, chip start-ups should be supported by domestic demand. Specifically, the public sector should take money into it, not only for possible subsidies, but also for purchases.
“By accelerating demand, Chips Act 2.0 aims to support the use of EU-designed and EU-manufactured processors by connecting suppliers with users through offtake agreements and a demand forum,” Reuters quotes. “To stimulate demand and support EU-based start-ups and scale-ups, the Chips Act 2.0 will use public innovation procurement as a strategic tool.”
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