EU to establish €380 million pilot line for photonic integrated circuits
Europe is moving to strengthen its photonics and semiconductor ecosystem with plans to establish a dedicated pilot line for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) has begun negotiations with the PIXEurope consortium to launch the Advanced PIC Pilot Line, expected to be based in the Netherlands.
The pilot line will be jointly funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe programmes, alongside contributions from participating states and private organisations.
A total of €380 million has been allocated to the project, with around €133 million expected to be invested in the Netherlands. Eindhoven and Enschede are being considered as potential locations for the production facilities.
According to Chips JU, the initiative aims to create the world’s first open-access PIC ecosystem, bringing together leading European research organisations. The pilot line will support the full PIC value chain, including design, wafer fabrication, hybrid integration, advanced packaging, and testing and reliability technologies, using state-of-the-art equipment.
The 20-member PIXEurope consortium is coordinated by the Institute of Photonic Sciences and includes partners from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
The PIC pilot line will be the fifth pilot line established under Chips JU, aligning with the broader Chips for Europe Initiative. It is expected to work closely with other European pilot lines, design platforms, and competence centres, including the NanoIC pilot line led by imec, announced earlier this year.
Chips JU will now proceed with negotiations to finalise hosting, joint procurement, and grant agreements, marking a significant step toward scaling Europe’s PIC research into industrial manufacturing.
