Expertise in micro- and nanophotonics stemming from Joensuu, Finland, is joining the Chips for Europe Initiative, which addresses challenges related to the availability of microchips in Europe.
Joensuu will contribute to the initiative by developing and commercialising next-generation, light-based integrated circuits. Together with Espoo and Tampere, the three Finnish cities form the Chips from Finland (‘Siruja Suomesta’) Initiative.
The Chips from Finland Initiative seeks to boost Europe’s microchip self-sufficiency and technological security. Microchips are a significant part of modern life, with huge potential for application. Currently, most microchips are imported from China and Taiwan. Microchip self-sufficiency represents not only independence of others, but also high-tech expertise, new innovations, business opportunities and jobs.
Joensuu-based manufacturing of micro- and nanophotonics will be a critical technology for microchips in the future. Research into micro- and nanophotonics has been carried out in Joensuu since 1996, and the city has grown into a leading centre of expertise in modern optics. As part of Finland’s national microchip initiative, new facilities with clean rooms and a pilot line are planned to be renovated for the Joensuu Campus of the University of Eastern Finland. The initiative will create new business opportunities and jobs in Joensuu.
The Joensuu pilot line has the capacity to manufacture made-to-order batches of optical circuit boards, into which semiconductors and optoelectronic components can be integrated in the pilot lines set up in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.
In Joensuu, research, education and industry work in close collaboration, which enables agile new product development. Joensuu also has the lead in strengthening national collaboration in photonics. The Chips from Finland Initiative will intensify this collaboration further, as the chips manufactured will be the result of the specialised expertise of the cities involved.
“Expertise in nano- and micro-optics is essential for microchip development, as we are reaching the limits of data transfer capacity and physical size in microelectronics,” Development Manager Juha Purmonen of the Center for Photonics Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland says.
“The University of Eastern Finland is the only higher education institution in Finland to offer a purely photonics-focused Master’s degree programme in technology. Companies operating in the photonics sector will need new workforce, and new researchers are required for academic collaborations, too,” says Professor Jyrki Saarinen, Head of the Center for Photonics Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland.
The Chips for Europe Initiative and the Chips from Finland Initiative have been showcased extensively both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.
“It would be extremely important for the Joensuu pilot line to be included in both the national and the European Chips Act pilot line programme, as we have all the necessary prerequisites for successful participation,” Purmonen and Saarinen say.
For further information, please contact:
Development Manager Juha Purmonen, University of Eastern Finland and Business Joensuu, tel. +358 50 354 2832, juha.purmonen@uef.fi
Professor Jyrki Saarinen, Head of the Center for Photonics Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, tel. +358 50 595 4348, jyrki.saarinen@uef.fi
