SEMICON Europe 2024, taking place in Munich, Germany, highlights the fundamental role of innovation and collaboration for sustainable growth in the semiconductor industry. With the active presence of the Microelectronics Agenda, Portugal is reaffirming its commitment to actively participate in building a resilient and ecologically conscious technological ecosystem.
The potential of the Aveiro District and Portuguese innovation
The day began with a meeting at the AICEP – Agência para o Investimento e Comércio Externo de Portugal stand, where representatives from Agenda Microeletrónica, AIDA CCI, HFA, PCI and PICadvanced were welcomed by Pedro Pinto de Sousa (AICEP Lisboa – Senior Manager: Inward Investment) and Marta Pais Vieira Conseur (AICEP Berlin – Trade & Invest Manager).
During the meeting, organized by AIDA CCI, they discussed topics such as the growth of the semiconductor sector in Portugal, the importance of the Aveiro District in the national industry and its export potential, as well as the relocation of some economic groups to Portugal, taking into account its stability, the qualification of its human resources and its capacity for innovation. The importance of the participation of Portuguese companies was also highlighted as a way of promoting the country and sectors such as microelectronics.
Business France: networking opportunities and international cooperation
Another highlight of the day was the meeting with Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy. During this meeting, the Microelectronics Agenda was presented, including its objectives and the products, processes and services to be developed by the companies during the course of the project, with special emphasis on the entities present at the fair.
Matthieu Martin, representing Business France, showed interest in promoting a networking space between the delegation of French companies and the representatives of the Microelectronics Agenda during the fair, creating an opportunity for future partnerships and collaborations.
CxO Summit: innovation and collaboration for sustainable exponential growth
The first day of SEMICON Europe also included the CxO Summit, an executive forum exploring “Innovation and Collaboration: Driving sustainable exponential growth”. This meeting brought together influential leaders from the semiconductor industry to discuss the role of sustainability in the sector’s growth.
During the CxO Summit, personalities such as Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe, and Ajit Manocha, CEO of SEMI, shared their vision of a rapidly expanding industry that aligns its objectives with global sustainability goals. Sessions such as “Empowering Tomorrow: Materials Intelligence Driving Sustainable Innovation”, by Kai Beckmann (Merck KGaA), and “Green Growth: Guiding the Future of the Global SEMICONductor Industry”, by Frederic Godemel (Schneider Electric), shed light on the industry’s potential to advance sustainable practices, promoting the transition to more efficient solutions in the use of energy and materials.
ITF Chip into the Future: the role of the Chips Act in transforming the European sector
Also opening SEMICON Europe 2024, ITF Chip into the Future, organized by imec, continued the day’s programming with a series of presentations focused on the transformative impact of the Chips Act for the European sector. This forum highlighted Europe’s commitment to strengthening innovation capacity and competitiveness through investment, research and prototyping in semiconductors.
Among the topics discussed were Europe’s capacity to produce chips below 2nm, the development of pilot lines and the impact of European legislation to boost the independence and resilience of the semiconductor chain. Experts such as Jari Kinaret, executive director of the Chips Joint Undertaking, and Jo De Boeck, from imec, address crucial issues such as the transition from the laboratory to the market and the creation of robust partnerships to support small and medium-sized companies in innovation.
For the Microelectronics Agenda, whose mission includes strengthening Portugal’s role in the semiconductor industry with innovation and sustainability initiatives, the initiatives on the first day of the event were an opportunity to consolidate its contribution. By participating in forums of this kind, the Microelectronics Agenda shares experiences and solutions that can help strengthen collaboration between European countries and develop a more robust and sustainable sector.
SEMICON Europe 2024 offers the Microelectronics Agenda a unique platform to highlight its initiatives for a more sustainable and competitive semiconductor industry.
International partnerships and contacts established
During the day, Agenda Microeletrónica made important contacts with several international companies, covering a variety of markets and regions. Among the highlights, companies from the United States, such as NexGen Digital and ONTOS Equipment Systems, visited the stand, as did SZ Components Ltd from Hong Kong, Sigasi from Belgium, and AEMtec GmbH from Germany. Delegations were also welcomed from countries such as France, represented by Teksceno Photomask, and from more specialized markets such as Liechtenstein with FEMTika. These meetings reinforced the potential for collaboration and openness to partnerships in various strategic areas for the semiconductor sector.
Created as part of the mobilizing agendas of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Microelectronics Agenda aims to strengthen the production and innovation capacity of the national semiconductor and microelectronics industry. It involves a group of 17 partners and seeks to help position Portugal at the forefront of the semiconductor management, production, distribution and recycling market, capable of supplying Europe and other countries worldwide.
The 25 new products, processes and services resulting from the Agenda aim to transform the microelectronics sector and contribute to its resilience, competitiveness and ecological sustainability, and will enable the Portuguese ecosystem to monitor and anticipate the sector’s needs.
The Microelectronics Agenda has a total eligible budget of €67,493,749.21, of which €30,048,411.91 is funded by the NextGenerationEU initiative. With the completion of the project scheduled for June 30, 2025, Portugal intends to establish itself as a leader in the global semiconductor sector, having already executed more than 60% of the budget and made significant progress in product development, sustainability and workforce training.
