The Spanish Government will invest 500 million euros through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT) in this major infrastructure, considered a key step for the national and European semiconductor strategy. The project is part of the Executive's Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, under the PERTE Chip and the Next Generation European funds.
Óscar López highlighted the critical importance of chips in the global economy, driven by Artificial Intelligence and present in everyday items like cars and appliances. "Neither Europe nor Spain can afford to lag behind. It's not just a matter of GDP or competitiveness. It's a matter of valuable employment and technological sovereignty," he stated.
The announcement was made during the "Digital Sovereignty: Semiconductors Now" conference in Madrid. The project involves imec as a technological partner and collaboration from the Junta de Andalucía and the Málaga city council, with technical coordination by INECO.
The facilities will include Spain's first advanced 300 mm cleanroom for next-generation chip prototyping, with an investment of 267 million euros in 60 processing machines. This facility will boost R&D investment and synergies within the innovation ecosystem.
The creation of up to 1,700 new jobs linked to the project is anticipated. The minister detailed the generation of 200 high-quality direct jobs and 500 indirect jobs in Málaga and its province, plus an additional 1,000 across the country. The Center will place Spain and Europe at the technological forefront in applications for telecommunications, medicine, mobility, photonics, quantum computing, and other transformative industries.
The event also featured interventions by Patrick Vandenameele, CEO of imec, and Javier Ponce, Director General of SETT, who delivered the institutional closing remarks.
