Key chips pilot lines and the European design platform

Here are some key chips pilot lines and European design platform across Europe.

PIXEurope is a new ambitious Pilot Line initiative that has been launched by the European Commission, through the Chips Joint Undertaking, to accelerate the development of photonic chip technology—an essential component in the future of high-speed computing, communications, and quantum information systems, among others. 

The pilot line aims to work on the design and establish an optimized prototyping chain (that includes design, fabrication, integration, testing and reliability) in search of accelerating product development and scalable manufacturability.

During 10 years and with a budget of ~400M€, 20 partnering entities from 11 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) will have the ultimate goal of creating a unique European PIC ecosystem, with open access services to the end-user, establishing itself as the first fully integrated PIC pilot line in the world.

EuroCDP – the European Chips Design Platform – is being built to accelerate chip innovation across Europe.

It is designed to support startups, SMEs, research teams, and other fabless innovators with streamlined access to everything needed to design and launch microchips: design tools, IP, expert support, prototyping, fabrication, packaging, testing, training, funding, and dedicated startup programs.

EuroCDP acts as a one-stop platform for chip design, helping users move faster from concept to functioning chips. Whether you’re exploring a proof-of-concept or preparing for market launch, the platform connects you with the right resources at every stage of the journey.

The platform will serve organizations based in EU Member States and participating countries of the Chips Joint Undertaking. Initial services are expected to launch in early 2026, with the offering expanding as the platform evolves.

Other pilot lines
Besides these two, there are some other pilot lines.

* Focusing on advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, APECS supports SMEs, start-ups and major industry players with low-volume, high-value chip production. APECS is coordinated at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, in Germany

* Hosted by imec, NanoIC aims to foster collaboration among key European players to provide Europe with a leading-edge beyond 2nm system-on-chip (SoC) pilot line for advanced logic, memory and interconnected technologies.

* WBG, coordinated by CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy WBG is uniting leading facilities and expertise to advance wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies for next-generation power and radio-frequency electronics, with the aim to transition from conventional Si-based electronics to more efficient, robust, and high-performing solutions.

* FAMES (Framework for Advances in Microelectronics and Semiconductors) pilot line focusses on flexible electronics, providing state-of-the-art equipment and expertise to develop flexible and additive manufacturing technologies for electronic systems. FAMES is coordinated by CEA-Leti, in France.

FAMES Pilot Line 2026 Open-Access Call launched on March 9, 2026, targeting chipmakers, startups, and researchers for 7nm/10nm FD-SOI, eNVM, and 3D technologies.