The Chips Joint Undertaking’s 2025 Annual Activity Report details substantial progress in executing the European Chips Act, strengthening the continent’s semiconductor ecosystem through collaborative research, pilot lines, and capacity building. Focused on the entire value chain—from chip design to manufacturing—the Chips for Europe Initiative accelerated the green and digital transitions.

In 2025, 19 calls for proposals attracted 84 submissions, yielding 29 funded projects and 17 grants worth approximately €659 million in combined EU and national public investment. Across 88 ECS projects spanning 38 countries, 1,465 unique organisations participated—63.4% from industry and 36.6% from universities and research bodies. SMEs made up at least one-third of beneficiaries, securing €375.5 million (19.5% of total ECS funding). Notably, 577 organisations retained participation from the former ECSEL JU, underscoring long-term collaborative strength.

Infrastructure milestones included five advanced pilot lines covering advanced logic, FD-SOI, heterogeneous integration, wide-bandgap semiconductors, and integrated photonics. Six quantum pilot line projects launched with €150 million in public investment, laying foundations for future quantum chip manufacturing. The European Chips Design Platform (EuroCDP) and the expanding network of Chips Competence Centres improved access to design tools and innovation support for start-ups, SMEs, and researchers.

Completed projects delivered concrete industrial results in edge AI, automotive electronics, embedded memory, quantum communications, and design services. Over 600 universities and SMEs benefited, with more than 65,000 professional EDA licences provided via Europractice and 4,100+ engineers trained during the year. By end-2025, Chips JU had mobilised €2.57 billion in co-investment, generated 759 peer-reviewed publications and 58 patent applications, and supported over 6,100 full-time equivalent jobs, solidifying Europe’s leadership in electronic components and systems.

The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) has published its 2025 Annual Activity Report, highlighting another year of significant progress in implementing the European Chips Act and strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. The report showcases how Chips JU continues to combine collaborative research and innovation with large-scale capacity building to reinforce Europe’s technological sovereignty, competitiveness and resilience.

Throughout 2025, Chips JU further expanded its activities across the entire semiconductor value chain from research and chip design to pilot production and manufacturing capacity. A major focus was the continued deployment of the Chips for Europe Initiative, supporting Europe’s ambition to develop world-class semiconductor capabilities while accelerating the green and digital transitions.

Key highlights from 2025

The report underlines the scale and impact of the programme:

19 calls for proposals launched during 2025;

84 proposals submitted, resulting in 29 funded proposals;

17 grants approved, representing approximately €659 million in combined EU and national public investment;

1,465 unique organisations participating across 88 ECS projects spanning 38 countries.

The programme also continues to demonstrate its strong industrial focus:

63.4% of participants come from industry, while 36.6% represent universities and research organisations;

SMEs account for at least one third of all beneficiaries, receiving €375.5 million, equivalent to 19.5% of total ECS project funding;

577 organisations have continued their participation from the former ECSEL JU into Chips JU, illustrating the long-term strength of Europe’s collaborative innovation ecosystem.

Building Europe’s semiconductor capacity

Beyond collaborative R&I projects, 2025 marked important milestones for Europe’s semiconductor infrastructure. The report highlights the deployment of five advanced pilot lines covering key technologies including advanced logic, FD-SOI, heterogeneous integration, wide-bandgap semiconductors and integrated photonics. In parallel, six quantum pilot line projects were launched with €150 million of public investment, laying the foundations for Europe’s future quantum chip manufacturing capabilities.

Significant progress was also achieved on the European Chips Design Platform (EuroCDP), together with the expansion of the network of Chips Competence Centres, providing improved access to design tools, pilot lines and innovation support for start-ups, SMEs and research organisations across Europe.

Continued impact for European industry

The report also demonstrates the longer-term impact of Joint Undertaking investments. Projects reaching completion in 2025 delivered tangible industrial results, including advances in Edge AI, automotive electronics, embedded memory technologies, quantum communications and semiconductor design services supporting more than 600 universities and SMEs, with over 65,000 professional EDA licences available through Europractice and more than 4,100 engineers trained during the year.

By the end of 2025, Chips JU had mobilised €2.57 billion in co-investment, generated 759 peer-reviewed publications, 58 patent applications, and supported the creation or maintenance of more than 6,100 full-time equivalent jobs, further reinforcing Europe’s leadership in electronic components and systems.

As Europe continues to strengthen its semiconductor value chain, the 2025 Annual Activity Report illustrates the growing role of Chips JU in translating strategic ambitions into concrete industrial, technological and societal impact.

Read the full Chips Joint Undertaking Annual Activity Report 2025 on the Chips JU Website here.

The post Chips JU publishes its 2025 Annual Activity Report: Driving Europe’s semiconductor ambitions forward appeared first on Aeneas.