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25 min ago 2 min read
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged a state contribution of €550m ($640m) to a European Commission- coordinated programme designed to support advanced semiconductor research for AI and data centre development across Europe.
The Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) programme represents a European financing effort to compete in the global semiconductor market.
In June 2023, the IPCEI microelectronics and communication technologies programme was announced by the EU Commission, representing up to €8.1bn ($9.4bn) in public funding from 14 member states.
Last week, Macron attended the European Forum on Computing Power, Quantum Sciences and Technologies, and Semiconductors at the Tres Grand Centre de Calcul (TGCC) of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Bruyeres-le-Chatel, near Paris.
In his speech at the forum, Macron said the next two years are critical for strengthening the European semiconductor value chain to remain competitive in the global market.
In July, the French government will announce a new national electronics strategy for 2035.
Under the France 2030 industrial plan, the state committed €5.5bn ($6.4bn), through its July 2022 national acceleration strategy, to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities with companies such as STMicroelectronics, Soitec, SiPearl, and Vsora.
Macron noted, in his speech, the EU target of reaching 20% of global production by 2030 through the first EU Chips Act will not be met.
