ACDRC: Chip Center Strengthens Cooperation Between the Czech Republic and Taiwan

Europe, and therefore the Czech Republic, faces the challenge of becoming less dependent on the import of chips and semiconductor components from risk-prone territories. The development of the semiconductor industry in Europe is based on the European Chips Act (EU Chips Act). In the Czech Republic, it follows the National Semiconductor Strategy, recently approved by the Czech government. This strategy aims to establish a stable and efficient domestic research, development, and manufacturing infrastructure in the field of semiconductors and semiconductor technologies, which would help prevent crises caused by supply disruptions of strategic technologies, including semiconductors, in the future.
 

ACDRC serves as a platform for cooperation between the Czech Republic and Taiwan, as well as a collaborative platform among three leading Czech universities. The project is coordinated by the national applied science laboratories NARLabs in Taiwan and Cyber Security Hub in the Czech Republic. The Cyber Security Hub is a registered institute founded by three leading universities collaborating in the field of semiconductors: Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), Brno University of Technology (BUT), and Masaryk University. The ACDRC is a CSH project designed to contribute to the technological development of the semiconductor industry, support professional development and human resource capacity building in this sector, and facilitate the transfer of research outcomes into practice.
 

The center focuses on coordinating and supporting collaboration in education and research with Taiwanese partners in the field of chip and semiconductor technology design, which are integral to today’s technology industry and a key factor for global industrial transformation. Developing the semiconductor ecosystem will enhance the global competitiveness of the Czech Republic. The ACDRC, as part of the semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic, has been established within the framework of the Cyber Security Hub.

"The semiconductor industry has become one of the strategic priorities for the Czech Republic today. It undoubtedly belongs to sectors with high added value based on knowledge and innovation, contributing to the knowledge-based profiling of the national economy. Within the European value chain, the Czech Republic currently ranks sixth in the semiconductor sector and is one of the key players, particularly in chip design and their applications in various industrial areas, such as electron microscopy, where it is even a world leader, as well as in the automotive industry and power electronics. In addition to investments, it is essential in the field of semiconductor technologies, across all parts of the value chain—from designing advanced chips for specific applications, to research and development of materials, to semiconductor manufacturing—to not only develop know-how but, most importantly, to prepare a skilled workforce,” said Ladislav Janíček, Rector of Brno University of Technology (BUT), adding: “Thus, the unifying theme of all ongoing semiconductor initiatives, alongside technological and material research and development, is clearly the development of human resources aimed at expanding their capacities, particularly in the Czech Republic. This is precisely the role of universities, which are joining forces to coordinate their educational and research activities for this purpose."
 

The ACDRC project supports deeper cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic and is the first pillar of the 2022-2026 Taiwan-Czech Democratic Partners Supply Chain Resilience and Capacity Building Cooperation Plan. The emerging center aims to contribute to the development of human resources and know-how for the semiconductor industry in both countries. The ACDRC will connect experts, facilitate communication, internships, and mobility for students as well as academic and research personnel from both the Czech Republic and Taiwan.

The opening of the ACDRC was also attended by Markéta Adamová Pekarová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. "In the long term, I consider the opening of the Advanced Chip Research Center here in Brno important as it will further deepen relations between democratic partners—the Czech Republic and Taiwan," she stated and continued: "The Advanced Chip Research Center is another significant milestone and will greatly enhance our cooperation in the strategic area of advanced chips, on which almost all aspects of human activity depend today."

In the field of education, cooperation between the Czech and Taiwanese sides focuses on coordinating and supporting training in chip design and semiconductor technologies to prepare new experts, particularly in advanced education programs that build on master's and doctoral studies at Czech universities. The center will also offer a scholarship program, advanced courses in collaboration with universities in the Czech Republic and Taiwan, lectures for high school students, summer and winter schools, and other educational events. In terms of research, the main goal of ACDRC is to create conditions between the Czech Republic and Taiwan for the effective use of knowledge and expertise, supporting innovation, knowledge transfer, and collaboration between academia and industry. In cooperation with universities, the center coordinates the implementation of several research projects, including the development of an AI processor for the automotive industry and hardware security technology. Other supported research areas include chip cybersecurity, a backend tool for electronic automation of integrated circuit design, artificial intelligence on chips, biochips, and quality control and testing devices for SiC technology. The research and educational activities will primarily take place at the participating universities in Brno and Prague, where specialized laboratories will be expanded to support individual research activities with Taiwanese partners.
 

Taiwanese investments also contribute to the development of the semiconductor ecosystem in Europe. These investments are mainly concentrated in Germany, but support is also directed toward the Czech Republic, particularly in educational, research, and development activities in the semiconductor field.
 

In the Czech Republic, the semiconductor ecosystem is represented by the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster, which brings together the most significant companies and institutions, including universities, covering the entire technological chain. To develop this ecosystem and connect it to the European network for semiconductor cooperation, the National Competence Center for Semiconductors is being built, with its project submitted to the European Commission for approval on behalf of the Czech Republic. This approval is expected within a few months, no later than the first quarter of 2025. The project is led by two leading technical universities, Brno University of Technology (BUT) and Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), along with onsemi, Codasip, the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster, and the innovation agency JIC. The project is coordinated by Brno University of Technology. Recently, a memorandum of cooperation was also signed between CTU, BUT, and the University of West Bohemia, aiming to strengthen cooperation between academic institutions in semiconductor applications, including power electronics, where the University of West Bohemia is also a significant player.
 

The ACDRC Center, as an expression of cooperation between CTU, BUT, and Masaryk University within the Cyber Security Hub, is becoming another integral part of this semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic.