Minister for Innovation Hanke: "SAL as a guide for the domestic chip ecosystem" EU Chips Workshop in Linz brings relevant players together
On 17 November 2025, Linz is all about chips: At the “EU Chips Access & Innovation Workshop,” all relevant players from the fields of chips, quantum, and photonics will gather at the LIT Open Innovation Center. The main aim is to strengthen cooperation along the entire value chain.
“Austria is a country of innovations. To support this despite the challenging budgetary situation, I have deliberately defined five key technologies with my ministry that have the highest growth potential for our country and thus also impact our prosperity and labour market. Two of these key technologies are chips and quantum, including photonics,” explains Minister for Innovation Hanke.
Media reports about impending production halts at large car manufacturers have once again highlighted the importance of chips. The shortage might continue to rise, as according to an EU Commission survey, the demand for microchips might double by 2030.
For this reason, the European Commission adopted the “European Chips Act” with the aim of strengthening Europe's sovereignty and competitiveness in the semiconductor technologies sector, and doubling the global market share of European chips to 20 percent by 2030.
Chip design platform: SAL supports SMEs without their own production
“Austria is in a good starting position here, as our country has established itself as a significant player in recent years. To further strengthen Austria's position, SAL - Silicon Austria Labs is one of 12 European partners involved in setting up an ‘EU chip design platform’. This mainly supports small companies and start-ups that develop their own chip ideas but do not have their own production. SAL brings in its design expertise and tools to enable domestic companies to transition from electronics to microelectronics,” says Hanke.
With the Austrian “Chip Competence Center AT-C3,” SAL actively supports the Austrian and European chip ecosystem in the strategic technology areas of “advanced materials,” “thin-film technologies,” and “quantum and photonics.”
“For this, we offer start-ups and SMEs highly subsidised project opportunities, free workshops and training courses, access to other initiatives like pilot lines and the EU chip design platform, as well as networking opportunities with other national chip competence centres across Europe. With the workshop, we want to showcase the activities and offerings of all three projects and especially invite SMEs and start-ups,” adds Christina Hirschl, CEO Silicon Austria Labs.
Linz as a high-frequency location for chips “made in OÖ (Upper Austria)”
Apple, Infineon, and Bosch are the three major players in chip design in Linz. Whether automotive distance radar or mobile communication chips - everything is “Made in OÖ”. These products have very high global market shares. Linz has established itself in Europe as a high-frequency location with almost 1,000 engineers and has now also brought in the international start-up Bridgecom for 5G Internet of Things chips at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) campus. The Silicon Austria Labs, JKU, and FH-Hagenberg perfectly complement the research portfolio.