Chips from the North – the Technical Chips JU Pilot Lines Workshop brought together stakeholders from across Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem in Helsinki on 23–24 March 2026. As the first joint gathering of all five CHIPS JU pilot lines – APECS, FAMES, NanoIC, PIXEurope, and WBG – it attracted around 170 participants representing 17 nationalities. Over two days, the event assessed the pilot lines, the Finnish and Nordic chips landscape, Chips Competence Centres, the EU Chips Design Platform, and progress in quantum pilot lines. More than a technical review, the workshop showed how Europe is building a stronger semiconductor base through coordinated investment in design, fabrication, packaging, testing, skills, and customer access.

Speakers positioned the pilot lines as a key instrument of the European Chips Act, designed to strengthen research and innovation capacity, widen access to advanced technologies, and support fair entry points for users across Europe. These capabilities matter not only for competitiveness but also for sovereignty and resilience: Europe needs the ability to develop critical technologies, reduce dependencies, and respond better to global supply-chain disruption. Feedback from the event underlined the relevance of this approach. Out of the roughly 20% of participants that answered the feedback questionnaire, an overwhelming majority found the different talks highly informative, rated the workshop very good or excellent, and indicated a clear willingness both to recommend the event and to participate again.

A strong message throughout the event was alignment: Finnish, Nordic, and European actors are building linked capabilities that can support both strategic autonomy and economic growth. For the Nordics and Finland, this is a major opportunity. With strong research organisations, advanced infrastructure, trusted collaboration models, and specialised expertise, the region can become a visible contributor to the global semiconductor ecosystem rather than only a user of technologies developed elsewhere. That position supports high-value jobs, attracts investment, enables industrial partnerships, and strengthens Europe’s capacity in sectors such as communications, automotive, defence, health, energy, and quantum. The strong engagement at the Helsinki workshop also showed the value of networking and open collaboration in turning shared ambition into industrial impact.