Chip Crisis: Europe Strikes Back

Since the widespread shortage of semiconductors started, several European industries have been hit, not just in the automotive sector. A number of industries have been directly or indirectly affected, and it has become evident that increasing semiconductor production capabilities in Europe is crucial.

The recent European Chips Act aims to invest €42 billion of public and private funds to 2030 to radically raise Europe's presence in the digital economy by promoting semiconductor production on the Continent. The European Commission's ambitions to double Europe's global production share, from 10% to 20%, have gained the much-expected investment they needed. From the €42 billion announced, €30 billion is from investments already committed by member states, the NextGen EU funds, and the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe research funding. 

Thus, for example in Spain, the Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation of Microelectronics and Semiconductors (PERTE Chip), has been launched, with a budget of €12.25 billion through 2027. The project is designed to strengthen R&D and design in microelectronic circuits, as well as covering the construction of manufacturing facilities in Spain and incentives for chip manufacture.

How these initiatives will affect us as researchers and engineers in the circuits and systems arena? Is it an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between universities, research centers an industries? Will the high expectations created be fulfilled?

In order to clarify these issues, we organize this DCIS panel session. We are happy to welcome the following distinguished speakers:

Guillermo Gómez Fontecha

Area Coordinator. State Secretariat for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures

Agustín Fernández León

Head of Microelectronics Section, ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands.

Juan Carlos López

Professor, University of Castilla la Mancha

Carlos Pardo

CEO at KDPOF

Miguel Chanca

Radar IC design lead and Line Manager at Bosch España

The Panel Session is co-organized by the IEEE CASS Spain Chapter and IEEE CEDA Spain Chapter.