Under the EU Chips Act, a network of national semiconductor centres is being built across Europe. The Czech Semiconductor Competence Centre will be part of it. The Centre is being established in accordance with the National Semiconductor Strategy, which is being prepared under the Ministry of Industry and Trade in cooperation with the Government Office and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
By signing the contract on Wednesday 19 June, six entities agreed on a joint approach to the preparation of the national semiconductor centre: the two largest Czech technical universities - Brno University of Technology (BUT) and Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), whose role will be primarily to provide education in the field of semiconductors and chip design in order to fundamentally strengthen the human resource capacity for the semiconductor industry in the Czech Republic. In addition, the largest Czech semiconductor manufacturer - ON SEMICONDUCTOR CR, Codasip company, the world's leading developer of semiconductor design applications, the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster as an association of hi-tech companies, universities, research centres and other entities that are part of the Czech semiconductor value chain, and the JIC innovation agency, which supports the development of start-ups and innovative companies, including those in the field of semiconductors.
The Czech Republic has made a significant contribution to the EU Chips Act, which aims to double the EU's share of the global semiconductor market to 20% by 2030. The agreement has three pillars, of which the first pillar "Chips for Europe" aims to strengthen the EU's position in the chip and IP design segment (fabless), which represents a third of the value of the entire semiconductor value chain with a year-on-year growth of 35%.
The operational objectives of the first pillar are the creation of a common design platform, advanced pilot lines and a network of competence centres across the EU, as well as the establishment of a chip fund to facilitate access to finance for start-ups, in particular for medium and small companies. The operational objectives eliminate current barriers to greater involvement of European actors in chip and IP design, including the cost of licensing development tools, availability of funding, the realisation of samples, prototypes and mass production of chips.
The competencies of the Chip Design Consortium, with the comprehensive tools available for the use of computer programs and dedicated computer hardware to design, simulate, verify, fabricate and test Electronic Design Automation (EDA) systems as a key component of the centres' functionality, will provide a functional interface for users of the design platform and pilot lines, and will be a consultation and training centre for Chips for Europe and the Chip Fund.
"Semiconductors and chips are not the future, but already a very current presence of necessary technologies. CTU is developing its activities in this field both internationally and in the Czech Republic, which is evidenced by the agreement just concluded. Our experts must not be absent in the development and production of such essential components," said Vojtěch Petráček, Rector of CTU.
"The recent global crisis has brought Europe to a crossroads. Europe has realised that we need to strengthen our technological self-sufficiency and independence in critical resources and technologies. And semiconductors and chips are a strategic and absolutely indispensable commodity in today's world," said BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček.
That is why the European Union passed the aforementioned EU Chips Act in 2022, which is intended to position it as a key global player in this sector, and has set aside more than €43 billion for this purpose. "The Czech Republic is well placed to be a major European partner in this sector. High-quality research and the presence of world leaders in the field of semiconductors, including ON SEMICONDUCTOR and Codasip, among others, give it the best prerequisites for this to actually happen" added Radek Holý, vice-rector of CTU.
"In addition, the Czech Republic is a world centre in the field of electron microscopy and also an important player in the automotive industry, which has an absolutely irreplaceable role in the development and production process of chips and their applications," added Ladislav Janíček, Rector of BUT.
"The centre is another element in strengthening the Czech position in semiconductors, which the cluster has long been striving for as a co-initiator of the Czech national semiconductor strategy. As a member of the Silicon Europe Alliance, the cluster integrates the Czech Republic into the network of competence centres and clusters in the EU and other components of Chips for Europe thanks to the competences of all its current and future members that make up the semiconductor value chain of the Czech Republic," said Stanislav Černý, President of the National Semiconductor Cluster.
The competence centre will provide qualified services according to the requirements of Chips for Europe in the field of chip design, especially for start-ups and small companies. "We absolutely need to strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty, reduce dependence on imports and create a strong ecosystem. One in which globally successful innovative companies will grow. And at the JIC such companies will find expert support that will facilitate their path to the global market," said Petr Chládek, Director of the innovation agency JIC.
"Sharing European IP and chip design tools is a revolutionary step in which the Czech Republic has a crucial opportunity to strengthen its position, not only within the EU, by capitalising on its intellectual potential. However, conditions need to be created within the National Semiconductor Strategy to fundamentally stimulate semiconductor education and support the innovative fabless segment," added Stanislav Černý.
The preparation of the project of the national competence semiconductor centre was started by these six partners with the support of the South Moravian Region last year. The needs of the semiconductor industry and the role of the centre are being profiled by the project's industrial partners, ON SEMICONDUCTOR CR and Codasip. "We consider it essential that the centre is truly beneficial to the semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic, which is why we are taking on the role of a key industrial partner ready to support research, development and education, including opportunities for medium and small companies," said Michal Lorenc, head of R&D projects at onsemi.
"We are also trying to bring to the project the experience of our foreign involvement in semiconductor supply chains, with existing industry links that will significantly contribute to accelerating the centre's integration into the existing European semiconductor ecosystem," added Karel Masařík, president of Codasip.
A joint contract, which regulates the roles, relationships and responsibilities of the individual partners, commits them to formally submit this project to the national call. If the consortium is successful, it will apply for further funding from the European call. The final project proposal should be submitted during September 2024. The preparation of the National Semiconductor Competence Centre is coordinated by Brno University of Technology.