The European microelectronics (ME) industry has a direct impact on approximately 20% of the European GDP and employs over 250,000 people, with more than 64,000 job vacancies. The main technological challenges are 1) to increase both the reliability of the manufactured electronic components and systems (ECS) and sustainability to meet the requirements of the new EU directive Right to Repair, and 2) to reduce the huge product verification effort (70% of total product development time) that represents a substantial burden on costs and resources. To compete with China and North America, the European ME industry is in critical need of cross-discipline experts in electronic manufacturing and digital innovations: software, data and artificial intelligence. The main goal of the MIRELAI industrial doctorate programme is to train the next generation of engineers and scientists for the next generation of reliable and repairable ECS developed within a trustworthy European value chain. The scientific approach is based on three pillars: 1) physics of degradation, 2) multi-scale modeling and 3) AI-based reliability which in sum will add up to a reinvention and new level of efficiency for the ‘design for repair and reliability’ for ECS. Our unique industry-academia partnership of 8 industries, 4 SMEs and 9 research organisations and academic institutions from 7 European countries has all the expertise, experience and capacity along the electronics system value chain to deliver this ambitious research and training programme. Shared hosting and joint supervision by industry and academia of each of the 13 doctoral candidates ensures optimal knowledge transfer. Together, we will pave the way for sustainable, repairable and energy efficient electronic system designs and resource-friendly smart electronics applications. MIRELAI is thus perfectly aligned with the European research agenda and the EU Pact for Skills, a shared engagement model for skills development in Europe.

The I-MECH target is to provide augmented intelligence for wide range of cyber-physical systems having actively controlled moving elements, hence support development of smarter mechatronic systems. They face increasing demands on size, motion speed, precision, adaptability, self-diagnostic, connectivity, new cognitive features, etc. Fulfillment of these requirements is essential for building smart, safe and reliable production complexes. This implies completely new demands also on bottom layers of employed motion control system which cannot be routinely handled by available commercial products. On the ground of this, the main mission of this project is to bring novel intelligence into Instrumentation and Control Layers mainly by bridging the gap between latest research results and industrial practice in related model based engineering fields. Next, I-MECH will deliver new interfaces and diagnostic data quality for System Behavior Layer. It strives to provide a cutting edge reference motion control platform for non-standard applications where the control speed, precision, optimal performance, easy reconfigurability and traceability are crucial. The high added value of I-MECH reference platform will be directly verified in high-speed/big CNC machining, additive manufacturing, semicon, high-speed packaging and healthcare robotics. In these sectors, the main project pilots will be validated. However, the platform will be applicable in many other generic motion control fields. The project outputs will impact on the entire value chain of the production automation market and, through envisioned I-MECH center, create sustainable proposition for future smart industry.

ALL2GaN will be the backbone for the European Power Electronics Industry by offering an EU-born smart GaN Integration Toolbox. The project will provide the base for applications with significantly increased material- and energy efficiency, thus meeting the global energy needs while keeping the CO2 footprint to the minimum. 46 partners from 12 European countries will collaborate on 8 major objectives along the entire vertical value chain of power and RF electronics. O1: Push the limits of industrial GaN devices and system-on-chip approaches for ≤ 100V O2: Leverage the full potential of innovative substrates for GaN O3: Achieve novel benchmark solutions for lateral GaN devices and integrated circuits ≥ 650V O4: Reach best technical and cost performance of RF GaN on Si with novel integration concepts O5: Break the packaging limits by application driven integrated solutions of high performance GaN products O6: Advance the methods to evaluate and optimize reliability and robustness of GaN components, modules, and systems for shortest time-to-market and maximum product availability at the end user O7: Demonstrate highest affordable performance for greener power electronics and RF applications O8: Road-mapping for the future GaN technology development and applications to support long-term exploitation/business cases and European leadership beyond ALL2GaN. The collaboration in ALL2GaN is based on a work package structure covering activities on novel power- and RF-GaN technologies for various voltage classes, latest packaging technologies, research on reliability and demonstration in 11 Use Cases. With ambitious goals and a clear vision, ALL2GaN will unleash the energy saving and material efficiency potential of GaN semiconductors for a broad field of applications, thus being in line with the major challenges outlined in the ECS-SRIA. ALL2GaN technology will directly contribute to energy saving and cutting-edge green technology innovation as…Every Watt counts!

IMOCO4.E targets to provide vertically distributed edge-to-cloud intelligence for machines, robots and other human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems having actively controlled moving elements. They face ever-growing requirements on long-term energy efficiency, size, motion speed, precision, adaptability, self-diagnostic, secure connectivity or new human-cognitive features. IMOCO4.E strives to perceive and understand complex machines and robots. The two main pillars of the project are digital twins and AI principles (machine/deep learning). These pillars build on the I-MECH reference framework and methodology, by adding new tools to layer 3 that delivers an intelligible view on the system, from the initial design throughout its entire life cycle. For effective employment, completely new demands are created on the Edge layers (Layer 1) of the motion control systems (including variable speed drives and smart sensors) which cannot be routinely handled via available commercial products. Based on this, the subsequent mission is to bring adequate edge intelligence into the Instrumentation and Control Layers, to analyse and process machine data at the appropriate levels of the feedback control loops and to synchronise the digital twins with either simulated or real-time physical world. At all levels, AI techniques are employable. Summing up, IMOCO4.E strives to deliver a reference platform consisting of AI and digital twin toolchains and a set of mating building blocks for resilient manufacturing applications. The optimal energy efficient performance and easy (re)configurability, traceability and cyber-security are crucial. The IMOCO4.E reference platform benefits will be directly verified in applications for semicon, packaging, industrial robotics and healthcare. Additionally, the project demonstrates the results in other generic “motion-control-centred” domains. The project outputs will affect the entire value chain of the production automation and application markets.

The Chips JU project E2PackMan contributes to strengthen innovation and packaging production in Europe to improve the ecosystem for leading edge / advanced electronics. Integration of more functionality in smaller volume is still the major driver in microelectronics. In order to facilitate further miniaturization, assembly and packaging (A&P) is becoming of increasing importance for the value chain of a microelectronic product. To secure the future of electronic products "Made in Europe", we need a big push to strengthen innovation and production in the A&P sector. Thus E2PackMan will push materials research as well as innovative equipment and process developments. The focus of this research will be on catalyzing industrial production capabilities in Europe, both strengthening the production capabilities of the large semiconductor suppliers in Europe and creating a network that enables SMEs to produce their innovative devices in Europe. A world-class consortium of 60 partners from 13 European countries has been brought together to push advanced packaging in Europe towards heterogeneous system integration: The E2PackMan -EU project tackles a coherent approach that includes the whole value chain from material, process and technology developments validated by test-builds including the interface of the package to the chips and to the board/system.