STMicroelectronics has hosted the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, along with the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau, the Minister Delegate for Democratic Renewal, Government Spokesperson Olivier Veran, the Minister Delegate to Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht, and the European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton, as well as representatives from national, regional and local authorities and managers at ST research, development and manufacturing site of Crolles, near Grenoble (France) for the launch of the French “Electronique 2030” Program. ST’s partners from the semiconductor and electronics industry were also present, including GlobalFoundries, CEA-Leti and Soitec.
The “Electronique 2030” program, part of the “France 2030” investment plan announced in October 2021, aims to keep France in a leading position and address current and future technological challenges, from upstream research to applications. Semiconductor components are strategic for many industries and the whole economy. They directly support the European Green Deal objectives for the transition to a low carbon economy with the production of highly energy-efficient, technologies, devices, and solutions that are the backbone for smart mobility and Internet of Things applications.
At the European Level, 20 European Member States have decided to build upon the success of the first “IPCEI on Microelectronics (IPCEI ME)” to launch a new IPCEI, “The IPCEI on Microelectronics and Communications Technologies (IPCEI ME/CT)”, in coordination with the European Commission. This new IPCEI, with more than 100 participants, will target the whole value chain of semiconductors, supporting not only research, development, and innovation (RDI), but also First Industrial Deployment (FID). The IPCEI ME/CT is organized into four workstreams: SENSE (digital perception), THINK (embedded processing), ACT (power electronics), and COMMUNICATE (components for Communications).
The President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron announced France’s support to ST, as well as to 14 other French leading participants in the IPCEI ME/CT, from 2022 to 2026. It directly supports ST’s participation in the four workstreams, through its R&D and manufacturing sites, notably at Crolles, Grenoble, Rennes, Rousset, and Tours. This will include R&D in high performance for low power MCUs and technologies, including a new embedded Phase Change Memory FD-SOI technology, AI at the edge using innovative embedded memory CMOS technologies architectures, innovative power electronics using GaN on Silicon, smart optical sensors using advanced 3D integration, and embedding AI, Radio frequency technologies and devices for 5G and 6G, among others.
Funding for the IPCEI ME/CT is subject to approval by the European Commission.
