Launch of the APECS pilot line
To maintain its hub as a location for innovation and business, Europe needs a strong ecosystem in the semiconductor industry. The pilot line for Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems (APECS) is an important component of the EU Chips Act, aiming to drive chiplet innovations and increase research and production capacity for semiconductors in Europe. The project officially started at the end of 2024. APECS brings together research and development institutions across Europe and is co-funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking and national funding as part of the “Chips for Europe” initiative. The total funding for the APECS pilot line amounts to €730 million over 4.5 years. As a member of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD), Fraunhofer IIS is participating in the pilot line with its Smart Sensing and Electronics research division, the Engineering of Adaptive Systems division, and the Development Center X-ray Technology. In particular, we are lending our expertise in the characterization and testing of chiplets: we provide support in chiplet design, chiplet integration, the provision of advanced intellectual property (IP), and the development of demonstrators, such as high-performance computing (HPC).