Zurich – The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) is playing a leading role in an initiative for the domestic production of chips. The program is intended to strengthen self-sufficiency in the European and American markets.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) are responsible for the new SwissChips initiative in the field of semiconductor technology. According to a press release, the initiative was launched to provide a national response to EU and US funding programs. SwissChips is intended to boost national research and production. The main aim is to promote research and innovation in the field of semiconductors, microelectronics and IC design.
The initiative was launched by the ETH, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microelectronics (CSEM) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). It is initially dated for a period from 2024 to 2026. The costs are borne by SERI (CHF 26 million) and CSEM, EPFL and ETH together (CHF 7.8 million). Christoph Studer, Head of the Research Group for Integrated Information Processing at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich, is the designated head of SwissChips.
The infrastructure and technology of the SwissChips initiative are available to all Swiss universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions. ce/ww