Joining forces for Germany’s technological sovereignty – ChipDE consortium submits proposal for chip design competence center
06.08.2026 |
A consortium of 33 partners, including GSI/FAIR, aims to strengthen Germany’s innovative capacity and resilience in the field of microelectronics. The consortium includes universities, institutes of the Fraunhofer Society, the Helmholtz Association, and the Leibniz Association, as well as industry partners and associated partners. Together, they have now applied to establish a competence center for chip design. The call for proposals was issued in April of this year by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).
Microelectronics is one of the six key technologies of the high-tech agenda for Germany. Semiconductors and microelectronic systems form the technological foundation of nearly all industrial products and digital services. A significant portion of the value creation in modern microelectronics lies not only in manufacturing but, in particular, in chip design.
The stakeholders behind ChipDE are pooling their expertise with the goal of taking proficiency of chip design to a new level, thereby securing a central component of Germany’s technological sovereignty. ChipDE draws on a broad range of expertise from ten federal states.
Within a matrix structure comprising five design hubs and two cross-functional hubs, the planned competence center will address the areas of digital, mixed-signal, and high-frequency design, the design of chips for artificial intelligence, and the development of chiplets. Other key areas will include the provision of open-source designs and design tools, as well as access to fabrication and testing facilities.
The department of Experiment Electronics at GSI/FAIR, supported by the Detector Laboratory and the ALICE research Department, plans to coordinate the “System Integration” work package within the competence center and to support with ASIC expertise in the mixed-signal hub. ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) are frequently used in the complex experimental setups involved in particle accelerator research, as it is conducted at GSI/FAIR.
The center of excellence is scheduled to be established on January 1, 2027. If successful, the setup phase will receive funding for three years. (CP)
