The new facilities in the Netherlands will be built by PIXEurope consortium.

The PIXEurope consortium has been selected to establish a European pilot production facility in the Netherlands for photonic chips, a technology that uses light instead of electricity for data processing, promising faster speeds and lower energy consumption.

The €133 million investment from the European Union is part of the broader €380 million Chips Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership aimed at expanding Europe's photonics industry and reducing reliance on non-European suppliers. The consortium is part of Europe’s efforts to build a resilient semiconductor sector in line with the EU Chips Act, which aspires to increase Europe's share of global chip production to 20% by 2030, according to media reports.

PIXEurope includes 20 partners from 11 countries, with coordination by the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Spain. It will develop an "open access" ecosystem supporting photonic integrated circuits (PICs), essential for applications from data centers to sustainable technologies.

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The project will cover the entire production cycle, including design, fabrication, and packaging, leveraging advanced facilities and equipment to innovate in photonics and secure Europe’s technology autonomy.

The Tyndall National Institute in Ireland plays a critical role in the consortium by offering resources and training in photonics, supporting technological independence across Europe.

Recently, Ephos, a startup involved in production of glass-based photonic chips, announced a major expansion of its operations following an $8.5M funding round and the opening of a state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility in Milan, the world’s first dedicated manufacturing of glass-based quantum photonic circuits.

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