On Friday 28 April, the European Commission authorised a French measure aimed at helping STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries to build and jointly operate an innovative large-scale production facility for high-performance electronic chips in Crolles, France.
France will provide the two companies with €7.4 billion in direct subsidies.
The electronic chips produced will be intended in particular for FD-SOI technology, an innovative ultra-low power technology.
The European Commission said that the production site will implement, among others, technologies developed under the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) for research and innovation in microelectronics, approved by the European Commission on 18 December 2018.
STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries have made three commitments.
Both companies have agreed to fulfil orders prioritised by the EU in the event of a semiconductor supply shortage, a mechanism linked to the Chips Act (see EUROPE 13164/3). They have also agreed to provide third party companies with product testing and development capabilities in their actual industrial production setting. Finally, they will continue to support the development of the next generation of FD-SOI technologies.
The production site is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
The Commission considered that the initiative will also contribute to the European objective of achieving European digital sovereignty in the semiconductor field. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)