Irish action needed to benefit from Chips Act

CORK-BASED Tyndall National Institute is calling for action to be taken to allow Ireland to benefit from the opportunities presented by the new EU Chips Act.

The EU Chips Act comprises a comprehensive set of measures worth €43bn to ensure the European semiconductor ecosystem stays relevant and to safeguard the EU’s strategic autonomy in the global supply chain of semiconductors. In a new position paper, Tyndall is calling on government to prioritise a National Chips Strategy for Ireland, with an ambitious target of more than doubling the size of the semiconductor industry in Ireland by 2030.

Ireland has a longstanding thriving semiconductor cluster that directly employs 20,000 people and will generate an estimated revenue of €15.5bn in 2023. Tyndall, Ireland’s flagship research institute in ICT hardware and systems, is a key actor in European semiconductor research and innovation and has said it can play a pivotal role in the ambitions set out in this paper by utilising its rich network of global partnerships and depth of experience.

CEO of Intel Patrick Gelsinger said the global semiconductor industry is poised to reach revenues of $1tn by the end of this decade. “Intel’s plans in Europe build on our investment in Ireland of over €30bn since 1989, and we are looking forward to seeing these strategic investments contribute to an end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing value chain across the region.

“The launch of the Chips Acts in the US and EU underpins this growth. It also presents an important opportunity for Ireland to further build its ecosystem and participate in the future evolution of the semiconductor industry.”

CEO and chair of Analog Devices Vincent Roche described semiconductor technology as “the bedrock of important applications in medicine, energy, communications, and automation”.

CEO of Tyndall, Professor William Scanlon, said: “The publication of the paper provides the focus and intervention needed to make the most of the short window of opportunity for both private and public organisations to work together and to properly position Ireland in the global semiconductor market.”