Network

The European ecosystem – the Chips Act instruments

Europe is currently intensifying its efforts to strengthen its semiconductor ecosystem through the European Chips Act and initiatives undertaken within the framework of the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU). The ambition is clear: to bolster Europe’s technological sovereignty in the semiconductor sector, enhance innovation capacity, and facilitate the industrial deployment of cutting-edge technologies across Europe.

To support this ambition, several strategic instruments are being implemented:

Pilot lines, which provide access to state-of-the-art technological infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities.

The 30 Competence Centres established in the Member States to support businesses, particularly SMEs and start-ups.

The Design Platform, which will facilitate access to design tools.

The aCCess project

226 The challenge today is to ensure that businesses and end-users can easily understand, access, and benefit from these European resources. That is precisely where the project comes in aCCCess The aCCCess project is funded by the European Union under the Chips JU; it comprises a consortium of 7 main partners and 11 associated partners, led by Blumorpho. 

aCCCess connects the 30 microelectronics competence centers (CCC), the 6 microelectronics pilot lines (PL) and the design platform (DP) in order to establish the European Network of Competence Centres in Microelectronics (ENCCC).

More specifically, it aims to facilitate collaboration between ecosystems, harmonize technology and training offerings, improve the visibility of available services, and simplify access for European stakeholders.

ASTEERICS, the French microelectronics competence center is fully integrated into the European Network of Chips Competence Centers (ENCC) and fosters close collaborations with other European competence centers to promote synergies, knowledge sharing, and coordinated access to European semiconductor resources—such as pilot lines and design platforms—across national borders. Through its active participation in the network, the **ASTEERICS** project gains in-depth knowledge of all Chips JU instruments, enabling it to pass these benefits on to the companies it trains and supports.