A new chapter in Europe’s semiconductor independence has begun in Brno with the launch of the Czech Semiconductor Centre (CSC). The centre, located in one of Europe’s strongest regions for chip design, will focus on supporting innovation, prototyping, and the growth of European fabless companies. As the Czech national competence centre under the European Chips Act, CSC aims to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor independence.
The CSC is led by Brno University of Technology, in collaboration with Czech Technical University in Prague, onsemi, Codasip, the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster, and innovation agency JIC. Together, they aim to build a European hub of excellence in chip design, education, talent development, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) support.
The centre will support European fabless companies with mentoring, financial guidance, access to advanced design tools, prototyping platforms, and small-scale chip production — all critical for the growth of European SMEs in semiconductor design and instrumentation, and for reducing reliance on overseas supply chains. To achieve this, the CSC will leverage the Brno region’s deep expertise in IP design, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tool development, and extensive materials research and characterization.
Besides chip design, what makes the Brno region’s role in the semiconductor landscape particularly unique is its dominance in electron microscopy — technology crucial for semiconductor development, manufacturing, and quality control throughout the entire chip lifecycle.
“One in every three electron microscopes used globally comes from Brno. This concentration of electron microscopy expertise strengthens a strategic advantage for Europe’s semiconductor ambitions in terms of a resilient supply chain,” says Petr Strelec, director of the Brno site of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Brno is home to global leaders in electron microscopy—Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tescan, and Delong Instruments. In 2023, they exported 93% of production and invested heavily in R&D, reinforcing the region’s deep tech credentials.
In 2023, South Moravia became the first Czech member of the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance.
“The Czech semiconductor ecosystem, with Brno at its centre, represents a vital piece of Europe’s strategy to reduce reliance on non-European chip production,” explains Karel Masarik, director of CSC and founder of RISC-V company Codasip. “With Brno’s unique combination of chip design expertise and complementary technologies like electron microscopy, we are contributing critical capabilities to Europe’s semiconductor value chain.”
