Latest news with #EUChipsAct
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU member states ask Commission to lower microchip strategy targets
The European Commission's microchip strategy targeting 20% global market share by 2030 is unfeasible, a group of member states said according to minutes of meetings of national industry policy representatives seen by Euronews. Ten countries – Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, and Spain – said this target should be revised in the upcoming Chips Act 2.0. The representatives discussed a European Court of Auditors (ECA) report from the end of April which said that the bloc is unlikely to meet the EU Chips Act 20% target because investments driven by the Act are 'unlikely to significantly enhance' the EU's position in the field. The ECA recommended the Commission assess whether the 2023 Chips Act's ambitions and targets remain realistic in view of the resources available to achieve them, global competition, as well as factors such as energy cost and dependence on raw materials. Chips, or semiconductors, are needed for a range of industries, from connected cars to consumer appliances. According to the minutes, the Commission said that the 20% market share target was 'essential to mobilise large amounts of money to counter the decreasing percentage of EU market share'. In addition, the distribution of knowledge and skills in the sector has improved as a result of competence centres rolled out under the Chips Act, the EU executive said. As of 2022, the EU accounts for less than 10% of the production of chips globally, behind Taiwan and the US. The Commission hopes to increase the figure to 20% with a 43-billion-euro investment. Several countries, including Belgium, Germany, Finland, and Italy, call for a focus on the next generation microchips, according to the document. Denmark said that the lack of financing remains a problem. Both Germany and Ireland will in the next few weeks present national semiconductor strategies. EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen's mission letter drafted by Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen, says that follow-up action on Chips is needed to further support 'innovation potential, strategic industry segments, mainstream chips and equipment manufacturing.' France's digital affairs and artificial intelligence (AI) minister is on a mission to unify Europe to force social media companies to put on age verification markers, adding that there should be no social networks for those under the age of 15. Clara Chappaz told French media on Sunday that the country has three months to 'mobilise its European partners' for an agreement that obliges social media platforms to verify the age of their users, and failing to do so would result in sanctions. 'My job today is to rally a coalition, with Spain, Greece, and now Ireland, to convince the European Commission,' the 35-year-old minister said. 'If we don't succeed by the autumn, France will take responsibility. In the absence of a European agreement, France will have to take action,' she added. France has taken a hard stance against social media use and screen time for children. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was in favour of banning phones before the age of 11 and no social media for those under 15. Chappaz agreed with him and in an interview with the French publication La Tribune said: 'No social networking before the age of 15'. Despite Europe's Digital Services Act (DSA) having an age framework, Chappaz said that the bloc needs 'to go further to strengthen its scope, so that it forces social networks not to accept the creation of accounts without age verification'. However, getting age verification right is difficult as many children can lie and get around such restrictions, experts have previously told Euronews Next. Social media platforms such as Meta and TikTok have already put age verification measures in place. But some have said that it is difficult to verify user age. Chappaz, however, argues that this is an 'excuse' which is 'false'. 'The platforms, which are among the most technologically advanced companies, know everything about our children: their tastes, their sleep patterns, the videos they watch when they're not well,' she told La Tribune. 'They are capable of pushing targeted content to an 11-year-old, but they wouldn't know whether he was 13 or 15'. 'Fast, reliable, anonymous technologies that do not store personal data for recognition already exist,' she added. In the interview on Sunday, she spoke about her 10-day without screens campaign, which began on Monday. 'The idea is not to stigmatise. It's about taking a step back to better understand the impact of digital technology on our lives and to regain control,' she said. 'I want every family and every class to be able to ask themselves the same question: what role do we want to leave to screens, and, in particular, social networks, in the development of our children? 'I refuse to allow algorithms to raise our children, to dictate what they should see and feel, and who they should look like,' she added. The minister has also championed the end of #SkinnyTok weight-loss content, where those on social media promote extreme thinness with messages such as 'if you're in a calorie deficit and your stomach rumbles, congratulate yourself'. She referred the matter of such videos to the French digital watchdog Arcom and requested an investigation by the European Commission, Chappaz said on LinkedIn. 'Digital technology is a wonderful tool, but it can also shatter lives. Protecting minors online is my priority. I won't give up,' she wrote.
Euronews
29-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU needs 'reality check' on flawed microchip strategy: report
ADVERTISEMENT The EU should take a "reality check" on a microchip strategy setting targets of 20% global market share by 2030, which it is unlikely to meet despite investment in the sector, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) on Monday. The report acknowledged that the EU Chips Act – which entered into force in 2023 and came as a response to the global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – has brought new momentum to the bloc's microchip sector, but found investments driven by the Act are 'unlikely to significantly enhance' the EU's position in the field. The ECA recommends the Commission assess whether the Chips Act's ambitions and targets remain realistic in view of the resources available to achieve them, global competition, as well as factors such as energy cost and dependence on raw materials. The Commission should start preparing a fresh semiconductor strategy in cooperation with member states and industry, the ECA report adds. The EU executive has a legal obligation to evaluate the Chips Act by September next year. Related Semiconductors: Brussels wants to plough billions into making more microchips in the EU EU Chips Act: Leaders strike €43 billion deal to boost semiconductor production in Europe The EU set a target for the bloc to gain 20% share of global production value in cutting-edge microchips – used for everything from cars to smartphones and data centres – by 2030. In 2020 the EU's share was estimated at around 9%. The Commission itself forecast last year that the EU's overall share of the global value chain would increase only slightly, from 9.8% in 2022 to just 11.7% by 2030, despite expected increases in manufacturing capacity. The EU executive is responsible for only 5% (€4.5 billion) of the €86 billion in estimated funding for the Chips Act up to 2030, with the remainder expected to come from member states and industry. By comparison, the top global manufacturers budgeted €405 billion in investment for the 2020 to 2023 period, which dwarfs the financial firepower of the Chips Act. 'The EU urgently needs a reality check in its strategy for the microchips sector,' said Annemie Turtelboom, the ECA member in charge of the audit. 'This is a fast-moving field, with intense geopolitical competition, and we are currently far off the pace needed to meet our ambitions,' Turtelboom added. The Commission's spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a reply that the EU executive "takes note" of the report. He added that the Chips Act has "laid a strong foundation in consolidating Europe's position in the global semiconductor market after two decades of decline, and put Europe back on the path of growth."
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
European lawmakers urge Commission to move quickly on Chips Act 2.0
By Toby Sterling and Nathan Vifflin AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Members of the European Parliament on Monday urged the European Commission to launch a new support programme for the region's semiconductor industry targeting investment in AI chips and other technological gaps. "Recent geopolitical developments have shown that Europe cannot take continued access to advanced technologies for granted," a letter authored by representatives of three major factions in parliament and signed by 54 lawmakers said. "We must take active steps to make the EU attractive as an R&D, production and investment location," it said, criticising progress made under the original 2023 Chips Act as "too slow". The plea from the lawmakers follows a similar call from top European chip industry firms last week. The Commission has yet to detail plans for the semiconductor industry, though it has said it intends to launch five packages this year spurring European investment, notably in AI. The letter addressed to Commission digital chief Henna Virkkunen said it was unfortunate those packages do not address semiconductors, as chips are "at the heart of the EU's industrial ambitions". A spokesperson for Virkkunen's office could not immediately respond. The first EU Chips Act prompted a wave of investment, but failed to attract advanced chipmakers after Intel shelved plans for a large new factory in Germany. Addressing that, and other shortcomings, has become more urgent in light of "current geopolitical realities," the letter said. Europe needs to "protect its champions from the consequences of extraterritoriality and the ever-escalating competition between the United States and China," the letter said. Extraterritoriality refers to the practice of a country enforcing national laws outside its own jurisdiction. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
24-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
European lawmakers urge Commission to move quickly on Chips Act 2.0
AMSTERDAM, March 24 (Reuters) - Members of the European Parliament on Monday urged the European Commission to launch a new support programme for the region's semiconductor industry targeting investment in AI chips and other technological gaps. "Recent geopolitical developments have shown that Europe cannot take continued access to advanced technologies for granted," a letter authored by representatives of three major factions in parliament and signed by 54 lawmakers said. "We must take active steps to make the EU attractive as an R&D, production and investment location," it said, criticising progress made under the original 2023 Chips Act as "too slow". The plea from the lawmakers follows a similar call from top European chip industry firms last week. The Commission has yet to detail plans for the semiconductor industry, though it has said it intends to launch five packages this year spurring European investment, notably in AI. The letter addressed to Commission digital chief Henna Virkkunen said it was unfortunate those packages do not address semiconductors, as chips are "at the heart of the EU's industrial ambitions". A spokesperson for Virkkunen's office could not immediately respond. The first EU Chips Act prompted a wave of investment, but failed to attract advanced chipmakers after Intel shelved plans for a large new factory in Germany. Addressing that, and other shortcomings, has become more urgent in light of "current geopolitical realities," the letter said. Europe needs to "protect its champions from the consequences of extraterritoriality and the ever-escalating competition between the United States and China," the letter said. Extraterritoriality refers to the practice of a country enforcing national laws outside its own jurisdiction.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Industrial Tech Giant Siemens Adopts IoT Blockchains From Minima
Siemens, Europe's largest industrial technology company, is working with distributor ledgers for the internet of things (IoT) builder Minima, to embed blockchains into the German giant's devices across the automotive, robotics and energy sectors. Minima is working with Siemens Cre8Ventures division, an initiative to accelerate industrial transformation by collaborating with startups in the fields of AI, digital twins, cybersecurity, and more, the companies said in a press release on Tuesday. A gradual evolution of computing capabilities towards the edges of networks has seen a greater need for security and data integrity to be embedded within these edge devices at scale, which is where IoT-level blockchains are useful It's an interesting shift since blockchain technology might have originally been thought of as the antithesis of large enterprises, in terms of being decentralized and removing all sorts of intermediaries, said Minima CEO Hugo Feiler. 'But as power goes to the edge on these devices, then even large enterprise clients need to make sure that there's resilience through that,' Feiler said in an interview. 'And so the ability for these large enterprise companies to run a decentralized system is mission critical for them as well. So, decentralization is not just cutting them out as middlemen, it's also enabling them to get further out into the world to deliver the service.' Minima announced late last year it was working with semiconductor giant ARM to develop a microchip with a decentralized ledger embedded in it. The partnership with Siemens, which followed on from Minima's Arm deal, will further the sovereignty goals of the EU Chips Act, introduced in 2022 to reduce reliance on foreign chip manufacturers, Minima said. 'Minima enables IoT equipment to run a full node, so they can independently participate in a blockchain network without relying on external servers or centralised intermediaries, eliminating all central points of failure and ensuring fully decentralised security, data integrity, and trustless verification. Our collaboration brings groundbreaking AI capabilities, data integrity, and decentralised trust mechanisms to the Siemens Cre8Ventures Digital Twin Marketplace,' a Siemens representative said in a statement. Sign in to access your portfolio
