Fifteen Member States are building a new IPCEI for next-generation semiconductors. National selections are under way and the file is heading for Brussels. Here is where it stands and what it covers.
On 27 November 2024, fifteen Member States endorsed Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (AST) as a candidate IPCEI at the Joint European Forum for IPCEI (JEF-IPCEI). AST is the planned successor to the two microelectronics IPCEIs approved in 2018 and 2023, and it moves the focus from mature manufacturing to the technologies Europe will need next.
What is in scope
The central narrative drafted by the participating Member States sets out seven technology fields: AI chips and accelerators, photonic integrated circuits, chiplets and advanced packaging, disruptive sensors, power electronics and energy-saving solutions, secure communication, and enabling technologies such as materials and manufacturing equipment.
Where it stands
AST is in the design phase. Member States have run national calls for expressions of interest; in Ireland, for example, the deadline was 4 February 2026, with national selection in March 2026. Selected companies attended a matchmaking event in Berlin in March 2026 to build the cross-border value chain. The target is notification to the Commission in the second half of 2026, with projects starting from late 2026 or early 2027, subject to the Commission's approval decision.
Where IPCEI AST sits in the four-phase IPCEI lifecycle, and the headline numbers.
As in earlier IPCEIs, direct participants typically carry projects of at least €50 million in eligible costs. Smaller companies can join as associated partners, funded under ordinary State aid rules while staying inside the ecosystem.
The takeaway:
National selections are largely done, but AST will run for a decade. Companies that missed the first call can still position as associated partners now and as direct participants if the project is expanded or a successor wave forms.
Sources
– European Commission – IPCEI Design Support Hub (candidate IPCEIs and endorsements)
– DETE (Ireland) – Call for expressions of interest: IPCEI AST & AI-CIC (2026)
– IPCEI AST central narrative (DETE Ireland)
– JEF-IPCEI technical-level meeting minutes, May 2026 (European Commission)