ChipsIT, so Italy tries to dive into semiconductors
Something is also moving in Italy on the semiconductor front: the government would have in mind ChipsIT, an R&D center dedicated to the design of this technology that is fundamental today
The code name, revealed by Corriere , seems to be that of a brand of potato chips, but in reality it is one of the innovative projects developed in a hurry by the government so as not to be excluded from yet another strategic technological sector: that of semiconductors which has brought to the well-known muscle trials of the USA and China on Taiwan. ChipsIT, they write from the parts of via Solferino, should be born in Pavia, with ramifications in that of Bologna and then further down to Catania. By the newspaper's own admission, it is pointless to googling: ChipsIT is not yet mentioned in any official document made public.
If anything, we need to sift through the latest budget approved at the end of the year which, between the folds of article 74-bis, provides for the establishment of a foundation called the "Italian center for the design of semiconductor integrated circuits". The foundation was created "in order to promote the design and development of integrated circuits, strengthen the professional training system in the field of microelectronics and ensure the establishment of a network of universities, research centers and companies which favors innovation and the transfer technology in the sector".
THE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO CHIPSIT
The text reads that "for the establishment of the Foundation and its functioning, capital expenditure of 10 million euros is authorized for the year 2023 and 25 million for each of the years from 2024 to 2030. The contributions to the fund of endowment and to the management fund of the Foundation charged to the State budget are credited to a non-interest bearing account opened at the State Treasury, in the name of the Foundation". Il Corriere speaks of 225 million euros distributed between now and 2030.
STRUCTURE AND MINISTRY
The Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy and the Ministry of University and Research are responsible for the project. Supervision of the foundation is attributed to the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. "The Foundation, by means of an agreement, may make use of personnel, including at managerial level, made available for this purpose at the request of the same, according to the rules established by the respective regulations, by bodies and other subjects identified pursuant to article 1, paragraph 2, of the law of 31 December 2009, n. 196. The foundation can also make use of the collaboration of national and foreign experts and consultancy firms, or of universities and research institutes”.
WHAT ABOUT INTEL?
In reality, the hopes that the Italian entrepreneurial substrate will prove to be thriving for semiconductors rather than ChipsIt are linked to Intel, which had placed Italy among the candidates in which to build one of its future plants. This is because, despite the good will of the government, the funds are limited to do something big, especially compared to what has already been done in other EU countries by the respective executives, which, moreover, have moved even earlier.
The risk that the mountain (of bureaucracy, appointments and so on, with ramifications perhaps chosen more on the basis of mayors rather than universities and technological poles) producing yet another little mouse is high and then there is the bet of attracting private individuals , all to be won. To give an example of what is at stake elsewhere – according to Bloomberg , which cited confidential sources – Intel would have asked for another 5 billion euros in subsidies from the German government to build its chip factory in Magdeburg, capital of the Land of Saxony-Anhalt. An agreement had already been signed for the plant which provided for 6.8 billion euros in government subsidies, on which the European Commission will still have to express its opinion. Compared to similar sums, one understands why, without a convincing project that leads private individuals to invest, everything risks remaining at an embryonic level.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/chipsit-cosi-litalia-prova-a-tuffarsi-nei-semiconduttori/ on Sat, 01 Apr 2023 05:45:09 +0000.