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Graz will become a hotspot for chip development: new competence center from 2025
From 2025, a “CHIPS Competence Center” will be built in Graz to promote chip development in Styria. The aim is to support start-ups and small businesses for new technologies.
Graz will become a hotspot for chip development: new competence center from 2025
A major “CHIPS Competence Center” will be set up in Graz from 2025 to promote the nationwide development of computer chips. This center will involve collaboration between the Graz University of Technology, the Silicon ALPS Cluster and various institutes in Leoben. The initiators are aiming to strengthen the medical technology, mobility and energy sectors in particular.
With the construction of this competence center, Graz will become one of a total of 29 planned centers in the European Union. The main goal is to promote the development and production of computer chips in the region, which is of great importance given that global computer chip demand is predicted to double by 2030.
Expertise as the key to development
Robert Gfrerer, Managing Director of the Silicon ALPS Cluster, emphasizes that this project is primarily about accelerating the development processes. Expert knowledge will play a crucial role: “Accelerating development will be achieved by lowering the hurdles so that entrepreneurs and developers have the opportunity to work with experienced specialists and learn in practice,” explains Gfrerer. This enables those involved to find innovative solutions more quickly.
The competence center will also provide support for startups and small and medium-sized companies that want to produce the necessary chips for their products. Gfrerer emphasizes that the center will facilitate the development of prototypes and thus make a valuable contribution to the economy: “Through this track, startups can turn their ideas into reality more quickly and access a Europe-wide network that provides them with the necessary resources.”
Promoting innovation and skilled workers
Another advantage of the CHIPS Competence Center is the prospect of developing the latest technologies such as quantum chips in Styria. In this way, the region can not only benefit from innovative ideas, but also strengthen the training of skilled workers in the chip industry. Given the claim that 370,000 new skilled workers will be needed in chip development and production in Europe by 2030, efforts to achieve closer cooperation between research and industry are worthwhile.
The EU is supporting this important project with funding of four million euros, while the Austrian state is also providing four million euros. More than half of these funds will go directly to supporting startups and small and medium-sized companies in order to increase their competitiveness and innovative strength.
Graz will therefore become a strategic location for chip development and could play a central role in the European technology landscape in the coming years. Details on this topic can be found in a report by steiermark.orf.at to find.