Opening of the Slovak Chips Competence Centre. Its goal is to support research, development, and even the production of microchips. More than 1 trillion chips are manufactured worldwide every year. The value of global chip sales reached 550 billion euros in 2024. However, the share of revenue from this sector generated in the EU is only 10%. At the same time, the volume of chip production on European soil has significantly decreased. For this reason, the EU prepared the so-called European Chips Act, adopted in 2023. Its aim is to achieve chip autonomy and to double Europe’s chip production by…
Opening of the Slovak Chips Competence Centre. Its goal is to support research, development, and even the production of microchips.
More than 1 trillion chips are manufactured worldwide every year. The value of global chip sales reached 550 billion euros in 2024. However, the share of revenue from this sector generated in the EU is only 10%. At the same time, the volume of chip production on European soil has significantly decreased. For this reason, the EU prepared the so-called European Chips Act, adopted in 2023.
Its aim is to achieve chip autonomy and to double Europe’s chip production by 2030.
A key part of the act is the creation of support mechanisms for chip research and development. Over the next five years, the EU will invest 11 billion euros in this area, while private investments are expected to reach as much as 30 billion. The initiative includes pilot lines, competence centres, and investments in building chip manufacturing facilities.
Education and prototyping
Each EU member state should establish one competence centre, which will serve to connect and strengthen the semiconductor industry within the country as well as through international collaboration.
The Slovak Chips Competence Centre, was opened today in Bratislava. Its director is Michal Mičjan.
The Slovak semiconductor competence centre will operate in the fields of education, chip design and module implementation, research, development, and prototyping. It will also be active in business and industry cooperation – supporting Slovak companies in accessing European infrastructure, such as pilot lines.
Its services are to be provided free of charge. It will also focus on dialogue with industry, government, and universities.
The Slovak Chips Competence Centre is financed by a 4 million-euro contribution from the EU, with the Ministry of Education expected to contribute an additional 7 million euros.
Pilot chip lines in Slovakia
Slovakia will have its own specialization within the broader European chip initiative. Activities in Slovakia will focus on power electronics – including module design, assembly and packaging, and testing.
A national project to build a chip pilot line in Bratislava has already been prepared, planned to be implemented by 2029. It is overseen by the Slovak Chips Competence Centre and will focus on advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. Another pilot line, aimed at producing and testing power modules for industrial applications, is expected to be established later in Piešťany.
Pilot lines will serve as the technological foundation for launching industrial investments in critical areas of chip production.
Source: Žive.sk, https://zive.aktuality.sk/clanok/gDlTcND/otvorili-slovenske-cipove-centrum-na-co-ma-sluzit/
