EU commits €525 million to chip startups and design platform

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's Executive Vice-President for technological sovereignty, security and democracy, spoke at the platform's launch. She said that strengthening Europe's position in the global semiconductor industry will not succeed without success in chip design. According to her, supporting a dynamic design ecosystem will create demand for manufacturing plants and strengthen the entire value chain in Europe.

A marginal share of global revenue

The need is clear from the Commission's own data: European chip design companies account for less than one percent of global revenue in this segment. The new platform is intended to give startups the design tools they need, along with support services, intellectual property blocks and access to manufacturing capacity.

The timing reflects the state of the market. The semiconductor industry is currently growing quickly, driven by strong demand linked to artificial intelligence technologies.

For European startups, the combination of direct funding and shared infrastructure addresses two of the biggest barriers in chip development: high upfront costs and limited access to tools and production capacity. Brussels is betting that a stronger design base will pull in fabrication investment and make the region's supply chain less dependent on non-European players.