While European research has been vital for advanced chip manufacturing, it is not enough to make the bloc industry leaders, the EU Commissioner said. Credit: Thinkstock Europe must manufacture its own cutting-edge chips or risk being left to build old-style chips, said EU Commissioner Thierry Breton during a keynote speech to semiconductor companies this week. Europe must refuse “any attempt of geographical segmentation where Europe would produce mature nodes, while Asia and the US would produce advanced nodes,” Breton said while speaking at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre’s annual event in Antwerp. He added that Europe “cannot and will not” be considered an observer when it comes to chip manufacturing, saying “I want a Europe that knows how to lead in semiconductors.” Breton highlighted how important European research and technology has been to the advanced chips manufactured today but acknowledged that “excellent research” is not enough. “To be industrially relevant, one needs to build factories and produce in Europe,” Breton said, noting that as a result of the European Union’s recently approved Chips Act has led to new projects planned by Intel, Infineon, STMicroelectronics, and Global Foundries. “With the Chips Act now agreed, we are sending a strong signal to all of you, in Europe and outside, that Europe is open for business,” Breton said. In April, the European Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on a deal to invest $3.6 billion in EU funds to build out the continent’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, with the aim of attracting a further $43.7 billion in private investment. Chip trade war continues to heat up The European Union’s Chips Act is seen as a response to similar plans to encourage semiconductor manufacturing in the US, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. However, the plan still represents less support than is offered by both the US and Chinese governments and Breton’s comments come at a time when geopolitical turmoil continues to disrupt the global chip market, causing companies to look for ways to bolster the security and continuity of the semiconductor supply chain. The presidential administrations of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, citing trade and security concerns, passed measures barring the use of Chinese-made hardware in US networks and imposed export controls on US computing technology — most recently, restrictions on chips and chip-making equipment. The US has also put pressure on its allies to enact similar restrictions. Related content reviews Chrome vs. Edge: Which browser is better for business? With web apps the new normal, the humble web browser powers the business world like never before. We take a deep dive into the two leading desktop browsers. By Preston Gralla May 20, 2024 37 mins Chrome Microsoft Edge Browsers opinion AI glasses + multimodal AI = a massive new industry New tech demos last week by OpenAI and Google show why smart glasses are the perfect platform for AI chatbots. By Mike Elgan May 20, 2024 7 mins Google Generative AI Computers and Peripherals analysis With three zero-days, it’s a patch-now Patch Tuesday for May This is one of those months where it’s important to roll out Microsoft’s latest round of fixes as soon as you can. By Greg Lambert May 17, 2024 9 mins Microsoft Windows 10 Windows Security opinion Review: The M4 iPad Pro — an amazing AI PC Light, thin, and indiscreetly powerful, Apple's new iPad Pro will be seen as more than just a tablet once Apple introduces genAI in iPadOS. By Jonny Evans May 17, 2024 11 mins iPad Apple iOS Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe