Lands €1.1 Billion To Usher in a New Generation of Semiconductor Technology

PhotonDelta Lands 1.1 Billion To Usher in a New Generation of Semiconductor Technology Capital from the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and other organisations will be used to build 200 startups, scale up production, create new applications for photonic chips and develop infrastructure and talent Photonic chips enable the creation of devices that are substantially faster, cheaper to produce, and use considerably less electricity Development of photonic tech will tackle societal challenges such as sustainability, create a new European industry, and open the door to a huge range of new applications including quantum computingThe investment includes 470 million funding obtained through the National Growth Fund (Nationaal Groeifonds), while the rest is co-invested by various partners and stakeholders. By 2030, PhotonDelta aims to have created an ecosystem with hundreds of companies, serving customers worldwide and a wafer production capacity of 100,000+ per year.Photonics uses photons (light) to transfer information. Photonic circuits will also soon play an important role for innovative sensors that can be mass-produced, leading to earlier diagnostics of diseases, safe autonomous vehicles and infrastructure, and more efficient food production.Ewit Roos, CEO at PhotonDelta, said: This investment is a game-changer. It will make the Netherlands the home of the next generation of semiconductors which will have a profound impact on the whole European tech industry.The ongoing chip shortage highlights the pressing need for Europe to create its own production capabilities for strategic technologies. Not only do they allow for the creation of devices that are faster, cheaper, more powerful and greener they also enable radical new innovations like affordable point-of-care diagnostics or quantum computing to become a reality.The PhotonDelta proposal has been submitted by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy in close collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), University of Twente (UT), Delft University of Technology (TUD), Holst Centre, TNO, IMEC, PITC, CITC, OnePlanet, SMART Photonics, LioniX International, EFFECT Photonics, MantiSpectra, PhotonFirst, PHIX, and BRIGHT Photonics.The PhotonDelta ecosystem currently consists of 26 companies, 11 technology partners and 12 R&D partners.