The Chips Act Regulation entered into force on 21 September 2023, as part of a broader package of measures for strengthening the EU’s semiconductor ecosystem. The Chips Act is structured around three pillars:
- Pillar 1 establishes the “Chips for Europe Initiative”, supporting large-scale technological capacity building and innovation throughout the Union to enable the development and deployment of cutting-edge, next generation semiconductor and quantum technologies.
- Pillar 2 creates a framework to ensure security of supply and resilience by targeting the attraction of investments and enhanced production capacities in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, test, and assembly.
- Pillar 3 seeks to create a coordination mechanism between the Member States and the Commission to strengthen collaboration with and across Member States for monitoring and crisis response, under the governance of the European Semiconductor Board.
Under the proposed framework of Pillar 2, semiconductor manufacturing facilities providing a dimension of innovation not yet present in the EU are considered being “first-of-a-kind” facilities and can apply to obtain the status of “integrated production facility” or “open EU foundry” (Art. 15 of the Chips Act). The framework foresees for these facilities provisions to facilitate their establishment and operation in the Union, as well as requirements to comply with criteria that shall ensure their contribution to the objectives of the EU and their reliability as suppliers of chips in times of crisis.
This Futurium Group is dedicated to any undertaking or consortium of undertakings applying to the Commission for the status of integrated production facility or open EU foundry. Please refer to the Guidance page for more information on the next steps in the application process.