The European Union is going to invest 133 million euros in the construction of pilot facilities for the production of photonic chips in the Netherlands. According to Reuters, the news has been confirmed by the country’s Minister of Economy, Dirk Beljaars, who stated that “photonics is a technology of strategic importance«, and that its objective is «ensuring that Europe has competitive advantages in the sector. From knowledge, innovation and supply chains to final products«.
The amount that will be allocated to this pilot project is part of an aid package of 380 million euros aimed at launching photonic semiconductor production plants spread across Europe.
This initiative to develop plants for the manufacturing of photonic chips is promoted by the European public-private initiative Chips Joint Undertaking, focused on giving a boost to research and development in the semiconductor sector.
Photonic chips use light instead of electrons to perform calculations. This gives them various advantages in terms of energy consumption and speed, which makes them increasingly useful in all types of applications and sectors, from data centers to automotive.
Although the amount that the EU is going to allocate to this plan is notable, it is still quite far from what European Union companies dedicated to photonic chips have requested. Last year, the directors of a group of some of the main companies came together to ask for EU support for this sector of the chip industry with no less than 4.25 billion euros in financing. The objective they pursue with this is to be able to compete with rivals from Asia and the United States.
In view of situations and requests like this, the European Commission tasked the Head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, with assessing how the EU could move forward with its measures to improve sustainability while advancing the development of a competitive digital economy. .
The results of their assessments were reflected in a report published last September, and point in the direction of the need for a higher level of investment, as well as the need to invest more quickly, so that the EU industry can keep pace with the United States and China.
The pilot plant for manufacturing photonic chips to which the announced subsidy will be allocated construction will begin in 2025and its erection and implementation will be led by the University of Eindhoven and the University of Twentein collaboration with the Dutch TNO Knowledge Institute. Companies that want to use their facilities will have to invest in the project, jointly with the authorities.
