About
Switzerland is home to thriving semiconductor and microelectronic design industries that serve niche markets and a large and highly active research community focusing on chip design. As IC design is evolving more rapidly than ever, SwissChips aims to maintain and secure a strong position for Swiss researchers and research infrastructure in semiconductor technologies, microelectronics, and cutting-edge integrated circuit (IC) design within the European landscape.
SwissChips is an inital three-year transitional measure jointly led by the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), EPFL and ETH, aimed to maintain and secure a strong position of Swiss researchers and research infrastructure in the strategically important areas of semiconductor technologies, microelectronics, and more specifically cutting-edge integrated circuit (IC) design within the European landscape. While the increased focus on digital sovereignty was addressed recently by the EU Chips Act and the US CHIPS (short for “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors”) act, the uncertain status of Switzerland in EU and international programs and initiatives will continue to threaten Switzerland’s semiconductor, microelectronics, and IC design research, innovation, development, and also businesses. Furthermore, as IC design is evolving more rapidly than ever, a transitional measure is of paramount importance to ensure access of Swiss academic institutions to advanced manufacturing and IC design technologies and to maintain a strong pool of talents and competences in Switzerland.
The main overarching goals of SwissChips are to:
- Counteract the adverse effects for the Swiss research community on IC design of technology decoupling trends of the leading economies (USA, China, India, and EU) in semiconductor research, microelectronics, IC design, and production,
- Mitigate the increasing difficulties of accessing and sharing advanced research infrastructure necessary for chip design with the EU,
- Educate the next generation of Swiss researchers and engineers.
The measures will be aligned with ongoing developments and programs in Europe, in order to
- enable a seamless reintegration in the “EU-Family” of research programs,
- foster the Swiss semiconductor, microelectronics, and IC design ecosystem,
- develop strong synergies among research institutions,
- develop a network with the Swiss stakeholders.
The infrastructure and technologies developed under SwissChips will benefit all Swiss stakeholders, and will be available to Swiss universities and universities of applied science as well.