VDE with new position paper
Europe must strengthen microelectronics
Europe is at risk of falling behind in the field of microelectronics, warns the VDE in its new position paper 'Hidden Electronics IV'. While the USA and Asia are investing massively, Europe is still busy catching up.
"In microelectronics, we are far too dependent on other regions of the world," emphasizes Prof. Christoph Kutter, Director of Fraunhofer EMFT and Deputy VDE President. "We must act now, otherwise we risk our prosperity, our security and our technological sovereignty."
Europe's strengths and deficits
Europe has important expertise in areas such as power semiconductors, sensor technology, edge AI and lithography. With ASML, the EU even has the global market leader for lithography machines, and a powerful chip ecosystem has been created in Dresden. Research initiatives such as FMD, FORLAB and the 6G hubs demonstrate its scientific strength.
However, there are serious deficits in chip design. "The most important design tools come almost exclusively from the USA," the paper states. The VDE is therefore calling for the development of in-house electronic design automation (EDA) expertise and the promotion of open source approaches such as RISC-V.
Requirements of the VDE
To ensure technological sovereignty, the VDE recommends, among other things:
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Expansion of production capacities, targeted start-up support and easier access to venture capital.
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Early promotion of future markets such as robotics, personalized medical technology and high-performance computing.
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Increased research funding and more attractive framework conditions to attract top international talent.
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Strategic partnerships with countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Singapore.
"Without a coordinated approach, Europe will permanently slip into second place in microelectronics," warns Dr. Ronald Schnabel, Managing Director of the VDE/VDI Society for Microelectronics, Microsystems and Precision Engineering. "Sovereignty and resilience in the semiconductor sector are not an optional extra, but a duty."
Further information on 'Hidden Electronics IV' is available here.
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