The Chilab-ITEM laboratory recently attended the unveiling of the Chips-IT Foundation Strategic Plan for 2026-2028, a critical roadmap for the organization officially known as the Italian Centre for Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Design. Established in 2023 as an essential public-private initiative, the Foundation's mandate is to steer Italy’s microelectronics strategy in alignment with the broader European Chips Act.
Proceedings were opened by Foundation President Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli, who immediately underscored the strategic urgency of the sector. Citing the pervasive role of integrated circuits across all modern technology, Vincentelli reiterated a key maxim: "Semiconductors are the new oil of the 21st century.”
Given market forecasts projecting the semiconductor volume to reach $2 trillion by 2032, the President stressed that inaction is untenable. This urgency is further amplified by the current global geopolitical polarization, which makes technological sovereignty a critical necessity for both Italy and Europe.
As highlighted by Foundation Director Carlo Reita, the core challenge addressed by Chips-IT is the historical fragmentation of Italian competencies in this field. Chips-IT has been strategically established as the necessary "glue,” designed to facilitate cooperation and synergy among universities, research centers, startups, and established industry players. The Foundation provides indeed a credible operational vision for addressing Italy’s and Europe's need to shape their own technological future.
The Strategic Plan confirms the Foundation’s dual and indispensable functions:
- Coordination and Design Hub: Acting as the central focal point for R&D, providing public and private actors with crucial access to state-of-the-art equipment and software.
- Competence Centre: Dedicated to developing and training the next generation of highly specialized talent essential to meet the demands of this hyper-competitive sector.
While the plan addresses enormous systemic challenges—notably attracting top-tier talent and accelerating technology transfer—the establishment of this unified, strategic structure positions the Italian microelectronics ecosystem to successfully meet global demands.
Our laboratory, Chilab-ITEM at the Polytechnic University of Turin, together with Piedmontese stack holders, intends to build a collaborative relationship in the training and development of enabling technologies for the heterogeneous fabrication of System-in-Package devices.
This commitment by the Polytechnic University of Turin aims to further the objectives of the Chips-IT Foundation in this crucial collective effort to secure Europe's technological future.
