23.9.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 365/25
3.
Specific comments 3.1.
In this section, the EESC assesses specific aspects of the European Chips Strategy’s strategic objectives.
3.2.
Policy-driven investment 3.2.1.
To achieve the Chips Strategy’s goals, the European Commission intends to mobilise around EUR 43 billion in public and private investment.
This includes EUR 11 billion in public investment under the Chips for Europe Initiative.
Moreover, the Commission plans to combine various measures, such as equity support, a Chips Fund worth EUR 2 billion, EIB loans, and funds from microelectronics measures in recovery and resilience plans and from national or regional funds.
The Commission also mentions support for industrial research and innovation through Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs).
In principle, the EESC supports the ambitious investment plans.
However, it remains unclear how they will be financed.
The EESC calls on the Commission to flesh out these plans.
3.3.
Strengthening research and technology leadership 3.3.1.
The Horizon Europe research framework programme already sets the goal of promoting next-generation technologies.
The EESC strongly supports this objective.
According to the European Commission, future research activities to be supported under the ‘Chips Joint Undertaking’ will help to better meet the needs of vertical industries in the future and to ensure that societal and environmental challenges are addressed.
3.3.2.
The Commission intends for research efforts to focus on technologies to achieve transistor sizes below 2 nm, disruptive technologies for AI, ultra low-power energy-efficient processors, novel materials, as well as heterogeneous and 3D integration of different materials, and emerging design solutions.
The EESC essentially welcomes and supports this approach.
Europe has a good foundation as a research centre.
Generating product-specific intellectual property for the European semiconductor value chain, including based on the RISC-V open-source approach, should further improve skills in semiconductor solutions for many key sectors.
3.3.3.
The EESC agrees with the intention to promote the integration of key functions, sustainable energy consumption, increased computing performance and disruptive technologies such as neuromorphic and embedded chips for artificial intelligence (AI), integrated photonics, graphene and other technologies based on 2D materials.
As well as small feature sizes (< 2 nm), the needs of the customer industry and the strengths of Europe’s semiconductor industry must be considered, particularly when it comes to power semiconductors and sensors that are significantly larger.
While technologies such as AI, machine learning, 5G/6G and high-performance computing require chip solutions of 5 nm and under, industrial production continues to require specialised chips of much bigger feature sizes on a large scale.
Europe should therefore not focus exclusively on the smallest feature sizes.
The EESC firmly believes that proficiency in smaller feature sizes (< 10 nm) is not the sole determining factor in the success of the semiconductor ecosystem.
On the contrary, the specific requirements for microelectronics will become increasingly differentiated in the future and an increasingly wide variety of chip solutions will be needed that are also disruptive and innovative, regardless of their size.
The EESC therefore recommends a comprehensive approach, primarily based on the innovative potential for the semiconductor ecosystem.
3.3.4.
The EESC supports research into quantum chips and welcomes the provision of funding from Horizon Europe’s Quantum Technologies Flagship initiative.
3.4.
Leadership in design, manufacturing and packaging 3.4.1.
The EESC welcomes the goal to strengthen semiconductor technology and innovation capacities in the EU and to promote a vibrant and resilient semiconductor ecosystem.
This comprehensive approach, which focuses not only on technology innovation stakeholders but also on supply and user industries, is to be viewed positively.
The EESC stresses the need to strengthen the entire semiconductor value chain and ecosystem, since it is not just chips, but also skills in materials and processes, including packaging, that play a fundamental role in enabling new semiconductor technologies.
Close cooperation between supply and demand-side stakeholders is important, with the Alliance on Processors and Semiconductor Technologies playing an advisory role, together with other stakeholders.
The EESC recommends swiftly moving forward with the initiative.
Ultimately, however, the actual implementation of the measures will determine whether these measures are successful and whether the expected investment is actually made.