Barkhausen Institute: Designed in Saxony: Barkhausen Institute Submits Application for National Center of Excellence in Chip Design

 Starting in 2027, the center will support universities, research institutions, startups, and companies in chip design. Access to modern development tools, European design platforms, and expert knowledge is expected to significantly reduce the costs and barriers to entry for new chip designs.

One goal of the project is to strengthen Germany’s technological sovereignty in the field of microelectronics. To achieve this, national expertise in chip design must be systematically expanded. This is the only way to reduce dependence on external developments and supply chains and to drive the development of our own key technologies. This is because Germany’s and Europe’s reliance on imports in the field of microelectronics regularly leads to availability issues, which in turn result in rising prices for all products based on these technologies—such as PCs, smartphones, vehicles, and medical devices.

At the same time, the initiative is also aligned with the goals of the European Commission’s recently adopted Chips Act 2.0. This act aims to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor industry, expand modern production capacities, reinforce the balance between supply and demand in the microelectronics sector, and promote targeted investments in research, development, and manufacturing.

“This presents a unique opportunity for Saxony,” explains Prof. Dr. Gerhard Fettweis, founder of the Barkhausen Institute and coordinator of the new project. “With Silicon Saxony, the Free State is already one of Europe’s leading microelectronics hubs. By consistently building up expertise in chip design, Saxony can consolidate its strong market position in the long term and expand it beyond chip production.” 

Saxony is particularly well-suited for this. With the founding of the Barkhausen Institute back in 2018, Saxony had already set the course for precisely these developments that Europe is driving forward today. The institute conducts research on trustworthy chip and system architectures and develops innovative concepts for fast and cost-effective chip design. This is becoming increasingly important, particularly in future-oriented fields of significance to Saxony, such as medical technology and defense. In these sectors, large volumes of data must be processed reliably, securely, and, above all, trustworthily under demanding conditions.

Following the approval of the five hub proposals (including ChipDE-Digital) and the coordination proposal, the Chip Design Competence Center will be able to begin its work on January 1, 2027. This marks the start of a new phase of development for the Barkhausen Institute and for Saxony. The necessary framework conditions have already been established, and the task now is to consistently tap into and further expand the existing potential in chip design.

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