Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND) and the Netherlands’ National Agency for Disruptive Innovation (NADI) have launched a new €40 million programme to support advanced chip design projects across Europe.
The AI-Native Chip Design Challenge is the first funding programme jointly launched by SPRIND and NADI. It will support teams working on new ways to design computer chips using AI.
The programme aims to reduce chip development time from years to just weeks. It is also designed to help Europe strengthen its ability to develop and control the technology needed for AI and advanced computing.
“The launch of NADI’s first programme is a huge statement of Europe’s intent to combine two of the continent’s greatest strengths: collaboration and innovation… We expect to see more nations commit to backing pan-European, radical breakthroughs. The need is great, and the model works,” said Jano Costard, Head of Challenges, SPRIND.
The AI-Native Chip Design Challenge will run for 20 months across two stages. In the first stage, running from November to July 2027, seven teams will be selected, with each team receiving €2.6 million.
The second stage will run for another year and will select three teams, with each receiving €7 million. In addition to funding, the teams will receive technical and business support to help turn their chip designs into products. More details about Stage 1 funding and dates are yet to be announced.
The programme aims to increase the use of AI in chip design. It will use advanced AI models and reinforcement-learning systems that can solve complex design and optimisation tasks. The long-term goal is to make chip design increasingly automated. The programme also aims to develop production-ready chips for AI training and inference that use less energy, can scale efficiently and help reduce AI computing costs.
“NADI’s mission is to catalyse breakthrough innovation in areas of significant societal and economic importance. We are excited to run our first Challenge together with SPRIND, on a topic that is strategically relevant for the Netherlands and Europe. SPRIND has been advising the Dutch government on how to set up NADI, and this collaboration is the next opportunity for us to learn from their experience,” said Jelle Prins, co-founder of NADI.
SPRIND has provided support for the creation of NADI. Its Challenges programme has deployed more than €100 million across Europe this year, helping fund projects focused on breakthrough technologies.
Earlier this year, SPRIND launched its first joint Challenge with Sweden’s Vinnova. The agency also works with organisations such as the US ARPAs and the National Science Foundation on innovation and technology programmes.
