IPCEI in the area of microelectronics and European Chips Act: European measures to strengthen the microelectronics industry in Germany and Europe.
Microelectronics is an economic multiplier for almost all relevant economic sectors and has a decisive influence on how innovative and economically successful Europe is. For the German economy, microelectronics is a central component in driving forward digital and green transformation successfully. In times of increased geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, secure access to trusted microelectronic components is more important than ever for the transformation of the economy and the supply security of Germany and Europe. The targeted expansion of research, design, and manufacturing competencies in the microelectronics industry secures technological sovereignty and thus also the long-term competitiveness of the German and European locations.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) seeks to advance powerful and secure microelectronics "Made in Germany" and "Made in Europe" and reduce dependencies on non-European countries together with value partners. The promotion of microelectronics is intended to help create modern chip factories in Germany and develop more powerful microelectronic components. These will be used in new downstream products in various industries such as energy and medical technology, the automotive industry, mechanical and plant engineering, or the field of artificial intelligence.
1. First IPCEI Microelectronics
The first Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) for microelectronics was approved by the European Commission at the end of 2018. This was the first IPCEI ever and serves as a blueprint for all further IPCEIs - for example, in the area of battery cell manufacturing and hydrogen technologies. As part of an #IPCEI, EU Member States have the opportunity to grant state aid to companies if it is compatible with the internal market. The European Commission must approve this. The BMWK the 18 German companies involved in the first IPCEI in building modern chip factories and developing powerful and energy-efficient microelectronic components until the start of mass production, with a total of about one billion euros by 2023. All projects were completed by the end of 2022. The final payouts are expected to be made by the end of 2023. The funded German companies (see Figure 1) have also implemented private investments of more than 2.6 billion euros. In the meantime, around 2,400 new jobs have been created as part of the projects. In total, 32 European companies from Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and the United Kingdom (see Figure 2) are directly involved in the first IPCEI. The projects were supported by the member states with a total of up to 1.9 billion euros. The companies themselves are investing more than 6.1 billion euros.
In addition, there are spillover effects (i.e. positive transfer effects on the internal market and European society), from which companies and institutions from Europe indirectly benefit - as suppliers, research institutions, or other partners from the IPCEI. The first IPCEI primarily aims to strengthen microelectronics areas such as power electronics, sensors, and special chips for the automotive industry. It includes five thematic priorities that cover the entire value chain for the production of application-specific components. The German partners participated in all thematic priorities. Examples of funding projects are the newly created or expanded chip factories of Bosch, Infineon, and Globalfoundries in Dresden, the #semiconductor factory of Osram in Regensburg, the #optics halls of ZEISS in Oberkochen, and the laboratory of AP&S in Donaueschingen. The investments mark some of the first new factory buildings in a long time in Europe.
Overview of the German companies involved in the first IPCEI Mikroelektronik:
Semikron Elektronik Gmbh & Co. KG (Bayern, Nürnberg) TDK-Micronas GmbH (Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg) X-FAB Dresden GmbH & Co. KG (Sachsen, Dresden) X-FAB MEMS Foundry Itzehoe. Foundry GmbH (Thüringen, Erfurt)
The planned second IPCEI for microelectronics and communication technologies:
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) is implementing a second IPCEI in the areas of microelectronics and communication technologies (IPCEI ME/KT). The IPCEI ME/KT is focused on "Safety, Security, Sustainability and Sovereignty" and aims to catch up in microelectronics and communication technologies where Europe has become partly technologically dependent on third countries. The IPCEI ME/KT consists of four "workstreams" that cover the entire value chain for the production of application-specific components: THINK (AI-capable processors), SENSE (sensors and optoelectronics), COMMUNICATE (high-frequency electronics and communication applications) and ACT (power electronics). Participating companies with projects located in Germany will be involved in all four areas. These four technology fields complement each other and are closely interconnected, as chips are usually supplied as part of an integrated system The projects will support companies in the transfer of research results into industrial production. Capacity building for mass production is not possible within an IPCEI.
On 8 June 2023, the European Commission approved the IPCEI ME/KT with around 100 projects from 20 Member States (direct project participants from Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Spain, and associated project participants from Belgium, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Hungary, see Figure 3), which are networked through European-wide collaborations (see Figure 4) with state aid approval. This is a prerequisite for the projects to be eligible for national funding.
Only directly and indirectly participating companies can receive funding from the EU Member States. Associated participants' projects do not meet all the requirements to participate directly in the IPCEI. Due to their importance for the microelectronics industry in Europe and their low funding amounts, they are integrated into the overall IPCEI project with limited rights and do not require state aid approval for funding. There are also indirect participants involved in the IPCEI ME/KT who do not require state aid approval but cooperate, for example, through subcontracting with the direct participants of the IPCEI ME/KT.
In the next step, the BMWK will prepare the funding for the 31 national projects within the framework of the IPCEI ME/KT, in which powerful and energy-efficient microelectronic components will be developed and modern chip factories will be built leading up to mass production. Eleven federal states, in which the IPCEI ME/KT projects will be implemented, will participate in the funding with 30% (see Figure 5).
The funded German companies will additionally implement private investments in research and development, production facilities, and buildings in the tens of billions. At the same time, the national projects will create more than 4,000 direct new jobs. In addition, it is expected that a total of five times the number of jobs will be created in companies in the local environment as well as in the entire value chain and with suppliers.
In total, 688 European companies from 27 European countries are participating in the IPCEI ME/KT. The investments of the participating companies and the funding of the projects by the Member States can only be quantified after the state aid approval has been evaluated. In addition, there will be spillover effects from which companies and institutions will indirectly benefit in Europe - as suppliers, research institutions, or other partners of the IPCEI ME/KT.
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Overview of the German companies involved in the IPCEI ME/KT:
Bosch Sensortec GmbH - Baden-Württemberg Reutlingen Bayern München Sachsen Dresden Rohde & Schwarz & Co. KG - Bayern Memmingen, München, Teisnach Semikron Elektronik Gmbh & Co. KG - Bayern Nürnberg SGL Carbon GmbH - Nordrhein-Westfalen Bonn Swissbit AG - Berlin Berlin TRUMPF Photonic Components GmbH - Baden-Württemberg Ulm UMS - United Monolithic Semiconductors GmbH - Baden-Württemberg Ulm WACKER Chemie AG - Bayern Burghausen X-FAB MEMS Foundry GmbH - Thüringen Erfurt X-FAB MEMS Foundry Itzehoe. Foundry Itzehoe GmbH - Schleswig-Holstein Itzehoe ZF 集团 NewCo IV GmbH - Bayern Nürnberg Wolfspeed Germany GmbH - Saarland Ensdorf
European Chips Act
Europe must continue to compete and catch up with other regions in the international chip production field. While in the 90s Europe had over 40% of the world's microelectronics production capacity, today this share has fallen to under 10%. With the proposed regulation for a European Chips Act presented in early February 2022, the European Commission aims to reverse this trend and double Europe's share of global production of highly innovative and sustainable microchips to over 20% by 2030. The goal of the European Chips Act is to strengthen the European semiconductor ecosystem, reduce Europe's dependencies, and advance digital and ecological transformation. To achieve this, various funding measures will be made available across Europe, using both European and national funds, to mobilize private investments.
The German government shares the goals of the European Commission regarding the European Chips Act. In the ongoing legislative process for the Chips Act, the German government is working to ensure that it sends a clear signal: Europe is an attractive location for investments in innovative and sustainable semiconductor technologies, which are key technologies for digital and green transformations. The Chips Act is expected to be adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in the second half of 2023. The German government would welcome numerous investments to follow the Chips Act decision in Germany and Europe. It aims to support investment projects in Germany within the framework of the aid law provisions and European Chips Act criteria, and has allocated funds for this purpose.
The German government is already in talks with various semiconductor manufacturers who have expressed interest in establishing or expanding capacities in Germany.