Microchip industry, trillion and turnover of Greece

Almost everything, even the chairs we sit on or the cups from which we drink our coffee in the future – perhaps – will contain Chips». In this clear way VP and General Manager of the application Amnesty International own business unit Applied materialsfrom the American giant, under whose umbrella the parent company Think Silicon has retreated since 2020, described from Athena the rapid development of the global semiconductor industry, the well-known microchips.

industry, which in 2022 rose to 600 billion dollars, while it is estimated that it will exceed the astronomical amount by the end of the current decade, which is a trillion dollars. Dollars .. From an industry that, as bold as it sounds, Greece does not look with a telescope, but claims the role of this regional player on a pan-European level, with the firepower of Greek start-ups, which are already making microchips on behalf of international players such as Xiaomi, Google or Samsung.

It is no coincidence that Applied Materials, the world leader in materials technology for the production of almost every new chip, which is carrying out a colossal $4 billion investment in semiconductor production in Santa Clara, USA, to be completed within three years, is in Greece. Fertile ground for the development of microchip design initiatives in our country.

Costas Mallios said, speaking to “Atoms to Algos” conference, organized by AppliedMaterialsGreece in Athens.

Greek innovation in microchips

The field of semiconductors in Greece is not virgin, because our country – through Greek start-ups – is making serious innovations in this field. A critical mass of high-tech companies, which started in Greece and some have been placed under the umbrella of global giants, form the vanguard of this national effort.

Think Silicon, which was acquired by American Applied Materials in 2020, and Helic, which has been under the control of US company Ansys since 2019, are some of them. At the same time, the multinational company Zepp Health, through its subsidiary Whale Microelectronics, is claiming a role in the European chip market, and is headquartered in Athens.

In fact, according to the Hellenic Emerging Technologies Industry Association (HETIA), there are at least 15 companies active in the sector on Greek soil, employing more than 500 workers.

Think of Silicon, for example, the company founded by Giorgos Sidiropoulos and Iakovos Stamoulis in Patras, that designs high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) with very low power consumption for mobile devices, such as smartwatches – and not only.

It is a real case study, because it shows in practice how technology made in Greece and by the hands of Greek engineers can become the cornerstone of the technological products that millions of consumers today buy from electronics stores around the world.

For less than three years under the umbrella of the American group, Think Silicon has achieved real growth leaps and bounds, most recently the only Applied Materials design center in Europe and one of the company’s few technology design centers in the world.

From Greece to every corner of the world

Greece’s ability to potentially develop into an innovation gateway for the entire region in the chip industry is underlined by the decision of Zepp Health, the world leader in the NYSE-listed global smart and sports watch market, to centralize its R&D center in Athens, which will be designed from Greece. The microchips of its “smart” watches.

The investment, according to the information, in the first phase of 2 million dollars and with Greek capital as a starting point, the US-Chinese giant, in which Xiaomi participates in 15%, will design in Athens the microchips, which are a major component of smart and sports watches that are distributed throughout around the world.

The development in the Greek market will be carried out by Zepp Health’s subsidiary Whale Microelectronics Hellas, which has already established a presence in Greece. In fact, according to its announcements, the company will have a ready-made chip with the required software at the end of 2023.

Double the portion

The EU’s ambitious plans to increase semiconductor production in Geria Epirus, through the well-known chip law, could serve as a springboard for Greece into the microchip market.

We remind you that Europe is investing 42 billion euros of public funds to invest in the semiconductor chain, with the aim of doubling its global market share from 10% to 20% by the end of 2030.

Europe has, through the Chip Act, invited European companies to form alliances to research and invest in semiconductor design and manufacturing, with a key opportunity for Greece to decide which part of the (European) supply chain it can take over.

“The European Chip Act is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Europe, not only to catch up on the innovation train, but also to lead the global market. Greece can participate, as financing depends on the member states. In Athens, for example, there are huge opportunities to go into the next deep tech field.” Costas Mallios confirmed during the same conference.