Start of PIXEurope, a 400M€ initiative that aims to accelerate photonic chip development in Europe

Representatives from 20 partner entities of 11 countries around Europe gathered at ICFO recently to kick start PIXEurope, a new ambitious initiative that has been launched by the European Commission, through the Chips Joint Undertaking, to accelerate the development of photonic chip technology—an essential component in the future of high-speed computing, communications, and quantum information systems, to mention a few.

More than 80 representatives from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, gathered to present, discuss and exchange ideas and set start to this ambitious initiative, whose main goal is to use state-of-the-art equipment to develop innovative PIC technologies and processes, including design, chip fabrication and hybrid integration, all the way to packaging, test and reliability, and enable faster transition of critical emerging photonic technologies from research to scalable processes for supporting the growth of volume manufacturing in Europe.

Coordinated by ICFO, PIXEurope is the 5^th Pilot Line selected by the EU. It has been chosen taking into account the synergies with the other 4 previous pilot lines led by IMEC in Belgium (NanoIC Pilot Line), CEA-LETI in France (FAMES Pilot Line), Fraunhofer in Germany (APECS Pilot Line) and CNR in Italy (WBG Pilot Line).  

Over the next 10 years and during the operational phase, the pilot line will “enable manufacturers to boost production capacity and innovation potential of European companies to a new level, allowing them to develop and manufacture prototypes of their products based on photonic chips” comments Valerio Pruneri, ICREA Professor, ICFO Group Leader and Director of the Pilot Line. As director of the pilot line, he emphasizes that “PIXEurope is the first Photonic Chip Pilot Line in Europe that unifies diverse materials, processes, and integration techniques that will allow the development and demonstration of devices and systems for all applications where Photonics is a key technology.”

Because of this, PIXEurope will support research organizations in bridging the gap between the laboratory and the factory exploiting novel scientific and technological results and accelerating the path to commercialization of this research, in particular by transferring processes and technologies to the industry, such as manufacturers and vertical integrators.

The importance of Photonics

Photonic chips, which use light instead of electricity to perform calculations and transmit information, promise to revolutionize a wide range of industries—from data centers and telecommunications to healthcare and defense.  These, or more specifically, Photonic Integrated Circuits, are the core technology of many products and applications that we are currently using every day. Applications that involve communications and cybersecurity, sensor robotics, consumer products and services, or even AI, quantum technologies and medical devices and diagnostics, already use photonic technologies, and will significantly increase their use in the near future.

Therefore, by recognizing both the technological potential and the economic opportunity, this new initiative is designed to fast-track research, infrastructure investment, and talent development in this critical field. Even more, it aims to enable his technology and its development here in Europe and for the European industry, where PIXEurope contributes to the European sovereignty policy through its focus on building a strong European manufacturing supply chain.

PIXEurope’s importance for Europe

“This is more than a scientific milestone—it’s a turning point for the region,” mentions Prof. Peter O’Brien, Head of the Photonics Packaging Group at Tyndall National Institute in Ireland. “By investing in cutting-edge photonic technologies, we are not only advancing innovation but also laying the groundwork for sustainable economic leadership in the digital age.” He highlights that he is “delighted to collaborate in PIXEurope because we definitely need Europe to scale-up its integrated photonic capabilities and the PIXEurope consortium is set to address this grand challenge”.

Finally, Kevin Williams, Chair of the Photonic Integration group at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands is particularly pleased that "PIXEurope will facilitate the wide adoption of advanced photonic integrated circuits produced using the standardized design kits and foundry processes pioneered in Europe. Advanced photonic chips will offer game changing advances in speed, power-efficiency and precision."

In terms of support at a national level, for the Ministry of Digital Transformation and of Civil Service of the Government of Spain and the Generalitat de Catalunya to support a program like PIXEurope demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering digital innovation, promoting cultural exchange, and strengthening Europe's technological ecosystems. By backing such initiative, these institutions not only empower local talent and startup companies, which are in need for speeding up production processes and thus lower manufacturing costs, but also position Spain and Catalonia as leading hubs for digital innovation within the European Union.

All in One Research Hub with Open Access and Gateway

This strategic program brings together leading academic institutions, industry partners, and government stakeholders with the shared vision of transforming the region into a global hub for photonics innovation. The initiative itself includes 20 partnering entities from 11 countries around Europe that have the objective of creating dedicated research facilities, providing funding for prototype development, and an open access innovation framework that encourages collaboration across disciplines and borders.

There will be a central Gateway, managed by ICFO, that is the single contact point for end users accessing the Pilot Line. As the main access point for end-users, the gateway will help optimize the processes and requests and funnel the collaborations for specific technological solutions, let it be for design, chip development, integration, packaging, or test and reliability.

List of the Partnering Institutions

The following entities encompass PIXEurope: