Stanislav Černý, President of the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster (CNSC), has prepared a new interactive overview that brings together some of the most important technology, policy and ecosystem signals shaping the European semiconductor landscape.
The EU Semiconductor Technology Radar is an interactive map of semiconductor technologies, positioned by their estimated time to industrial maturity and their expected impact on the European ecosystem. It links each technology area to the European funding instrument that may support its development — including IPCEI ME, IPCEI ME/CT, IPCEI AST, the Chips Act and the proposed Chips Act 2.0.
For Czechia, this is more than a visualisation. It is a strategic tool for understanding where the national semiconductor ecosystem stands, where Europe is heading, and how Czech companies, universities and research organisations can position themselves within upcoming European opportunities.
Mapping uncertainty in a fast-moving sector
The semiconductor landscape is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, energy systems, advanced packaging, wide-bandgap power electronics, photonics, new materials, connectivity and design automation are all developing at the same time — often with overlapping industrial and policy implications.
The radar helps make this complexity more visible. It organises technologies by sector, maturity and potential impact, enabling users to compare areas such as SiC and GaN power electronics, Edge AI, advanced microcontrollers, photonics, heterogeneous integration and the European Chips Design Platform.
Its purpose is not to provide a final ranking of technologies. Instead, it creates a structured basis for discussion: which areas are close to industrial deployment, which may become disruptive in the next three to five years, and which could be essential for Europe’s long-term technological sovereignty.
A strong signal from Europe’s competence centres
One of the most valuable parts of the radar is its use of data from a survey of European semiconductor Competence Centres in the aCCCess network. The survey gathered 25 responses from 23 countries and asked centres to rate 26 technology domains according to whether they are a main focus, a supporting activity, an emerging area or not applicable.
The results show a European network with significant capacity — but also clear strategic needs.
For example, 20 out of 25 responding centres reported high international-cooperation experience, while 17 out of 25 are members of European networks. All 25 centres use or promote Chips JU or ECSEL-type programmes, and 12 out of 25 already use or promote IPCEI ME.
The survey also confirms the important front-office role of competence centres. 24 out of 25 centres offer networking and matchmaking support, while 16 out of 25 provide business mentoring and coaching. At the same time, only 10 centres have dedicated public-funding staff and 11 centres have dedicated private-funding staff. This underlines a key challenge: Europe has strong technical capability, but companies — especially SMEs and start-ups — still need practical guidance to navigate funding, infrastructure and industrial partnerships.
Across the open responses, several technology priorities stand out for the next three to five years: photonics, quantum technologies, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, wide-bandgap power electronics, and Edge AI or AI-driven design. These are precisely the areas where European cooperation, pilot lines and the Chips Design Platform can play a decisive role.
Why this matters for Czechia
The radar also includes a dedicated map of the Czech semiconductor value chain, based on CNSC member profiles. It shows a national ecosystem with clear strengths in chip design, IP, metrology, electron microscopy, academic research and specialised industrial technologies.
This is an important message. Czechia is not trying to copy the semiconductor strategies of larger countries built around leading-edge mega-fabs. Instead, its strongest contribution lies in specialised capabilities that are highly relevant to the European value chain: design, RISC-V and EDA-related expertise, power electronics, electron microscopy, test and measurement, advanced materials, energy-grid applications and applied R&D.
The radar highlights Czech strengths in Brno’s design and analysis ecosystem, including RISC-V and EDA expertise, as well as the country’s globally significant position in electron microscopy. It also points to front-end fabrication activities in Rožnov, supported by a wider supply chain of equipment, materials, power and industrial technology companies.
At the same time, the map identifies thinner links in the Czech value chain, especially in areas such as advanced packaging, dedicated test capacity and wide-bandgap volume deployment. These are not weaknesses to hide; they are strategic gaps that can guide investment, partnerships and future pilot-line positioning.
From national mapping to European positioning
The value of this overview lies in connecting three levels that are often discussed separately: technology trends, European funding instruments and national capability.
For companies, the radar can help identify which technology areas are gaining momentum and which European instruments may be relevant. For research teams, it provides context for positioning project ideas within broader European priorities. For policy makers and ecosystem organisations, it offers a clearer view of where Czechia can contribute to EU semiconductor sovereignty in a realistic and distinctive way.
The radar also reinforces the role of the Czech Semiconductor Centre and CNSC as connectors between national stakeholders and European infrastructure. Within the aCCCess network, competence centres are expected to help SMEs, start-ups, universities and industry access specialised knowledge, training, pilot lines, the European Chips Design Platform and funding opportunities. A structured overview such as this makes that navigation more practical.
A practical tool for strategic choices
The semiconductor sector is often described through large figures, global rankings and geopolitical ambitions. Those are important, but they do not always help individual companies or research teams understand where they fit.
This is where mapping becomes valuable. By showing technologies, instruments, competence-centre priorities and Czech value-chain capabilities in one place, the EU Semiconductor Technology Radar turns complexity into a usable strategic overview.
It helps answer questions that are central to the future of the Czech semiconductor industry: Which technologies should receive attention now? Where does Czechia already have internationally relevant expertise? Which gaps should be addressed through cooperation or investment? And how can Czech organisations better connect to European instruments such as IPCEI, pilot lines, the Chips Design Platform and future Chips Act 2.0 priorities?
As a living working draft, the radar is not the final word. Its strength is precisely that it can evolve as technologies, policy instruments and industrial priorities change. For the Czech semiconductor ecosystem, it offers an important starting point: a clearer, data-informed view of how national strengths can be translated into European relevance.
In a sector where timing, partnerships and strategic focus matter, that clarity is a competitive asset.
