In the News 
April 21, 2023
– InnovationOrigins
Press Releases
April 20, 2023
Eindhoven, The Netherlands During King Willem-Alexander’s visit to the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven on…
During King Willem-Alexander’s visit to the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven on April 20, he gained insight into the value chain of integrated photonics in the Netherlands and Europe from various perspectives. This emerging chip technology is accelerating thanks to a €1.1 billion program led by PhotonDelta. With demonstrations at Holst Centre and roundtable discussions at PhotonDelta, the King learned about the essence of the technology, its applications, and its importance for the future of the Netherlands and Europe.
Ewit Roos, CEO of PhotonDelta, is very pleased with the day’s outcome.
Ewit Roos, CEO at PhotonDeltaThe King’s visit is a tremendous honor for the ecosystem. It underlines once again the importance of integrated photonics for our country. We told him about the applications of integrated photonics for innovations in medical diagnostics, autonomous driving, the agricultural sector, and data communications. PhotonDelta and Holst Centre are central to the development of this new value chain. For the King, this was certainly a wonderful opportunity to get the most complete picture possible of the quality of the unique position of the ecosystem and all the opportunities that still lie ahead.
Photonics is all about the interaction between light (photons) and matter. Through photonics, data can be transmitted at the speed of light, reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency. Integrated photonic chips, considered a key technology worldwide, enable the development of smaller, faster, and energy-efficient devices. This will lead to innovations that will help solve the major challenges of our time and contribute to a healthy and sustainable future.
The Netherlands has recognized the opportunities of integrated photonics through the National Growth Fund. PhotonDelta, the ecosystem of organizations in photonic chip technology, has mobilized public and private investment totaling 1.1 billion euros through this fund to transform the Netherlands into a leader in the next generation of semiconductors.
The investment consists of 470 million euros through the growth fund, with the rest coming from other partners and stakeholders. It is all part of the Dutch government’s plan to strengthen the country’s position as a world leader in integrated photonics.
The King first visited Holst Centre, a collaboration between the research centers imec and TNO. Researchers from different disciplines develop new technology for photonic chips and prototypes that companies can use for their production process and new products.
The King was given a tour of Holst Centre’s laboratory and attended demonstrations of the application of photonics in various sectors. Representatives from Signify, EFFECT Photonics, Delta Diagnostics, Quix Quantum, and Lionix explained the different stages in the value chain. During this tour, the main focus was on the applications that help solve society’s critical challenges.
Integrated photonics is one of the pillars of Holst Centre’s strategy. By combining the expertise of imec and TNO, many aspects needed in the development and production process can be offered, such as design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing. We combine the photonic microchip technology of imec in Belgium, the complementary photonic platforms in the Netherlands, the design expertise of imec in the Netherlands, and the optics and systems integration knowledge of TNO to help develop new sustainable solutions in different industries.
Kathleen Philips, director of imec at Holst Centre
The subsequent visit to PhotonDelta, also at the High Tech Campus, began with a presentation on the ecosystem. In recent years, PhotonDelta has grown this community from 12 to 60 stakeholders who together form a value chain that conceives, develops, and makes photonic chips and solutions based on them. The roundtable discussion covered topics such as industrialization, application technology, and European cooperation. Phix Photonics Assembly, Smart Photonics, and Trumpf Photonics Components addressed the challenges and possible solutions in scaling up the most crucial industrialization processes. Following this talk, Synopsys NL and NXP discussed the challenges around application strategies: creating a library of easy-to-use building blocks for new applications. Finally, the European playing field came into focus through PhotonDelta itself and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This covered Europe’s ambitions around strategic autonomy and the impact of the European Chips Act. Photonic chips have been designated as a key technology by the European Commission. Security of supply for digital technology is the guiding principle in the Chips Act.
Strategic autonomy does not mean developing a copy of the global semiconductor value chain in Europe, but taking unique European positions in these chains where we can be ‘world-class’. This implies interdependence through quality and capacity rather than taking over one-to-one what is already happening elsewhere. Integrated photonics is one such position where Europe can excel.
Ton van Mol, Director TNO at Holst Centre
PhotonDelta is an ecosystem of organizations that conceive, develop and make solutions based on photonic chips. PhotonDelta supports the system by stimulating collaboration between stakeholders, providing funding, and connecting them to the market.
Holst Centre, a collaboration of imec and TNO, brings together expertise in wireless sensor technologies and flexible electronics under one roof. The sharing of specific knowledge in an open structure enables the alignment of research and innovation with societal issues in health and vitality, energy and climate, and mobility and industry 5.0.
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More information:
PhotonDelta
Jorn Smeets, Chief Marketing Officer
M: 06 – 1147 8812
E: jorn@photondelta.com
W: www.photondelta.com
Imec at Holst Centre
Carolien van der Leegte, Communicatiemanager imec NL
M: 06 – 1760 4841
E: carolien.vanderleegte@imec.nl
W: www.holstcentre.com
W: www.imec-int.com
TNO at Holst Centre
Sara Joosten, Project Manager Marketing & Communications
M: 06 – 2915 6716
E: sara.joosten@tno.nl
W: www.holstcentre.com
W: www.tno.nl
Press Releases
April 14, 2022
Eindhoven, The Netherlands PhotonDelta, a cross-border ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations, has secured €…
PhotonDelta, a cross-border ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations, has secured € 1.1 billion in public and private investment to transform the Netherlands into the leader of the next generation of semiconductors.
The investment includes €470 million of funding obtained through the National Growth Fund (Nationaal Groeifonds), while the rest is co-invested by various partners and stakeholders. It is part of the Dutch Government’s national plan to cement and expand the country’s position as a world leader in integrated photonics.
The program will run for six years and will enable PhotonDelta and its partners to further invest in photonic startups and scaleups, expand production and research facilities, attract and train talent, drive adoption, and develop a world-class design library. By 2030, PhotonDelta aims to have created an ecosystem with hundreds of companies, serving customers worldwide and a wafer production capacity of 100,000+ per year.
Photonics uses photons (light) to transfer information. Photonic chips, also called photonic integrated circuits (PICs), integrate photonic functions into microchips to create smaller, faster and more energy-efficient devices. PICs can process and transmit data much more effectively than their electronic counterparts. Just like with traditional chips, the production process is carried out using automatic wafer-scale technology. This allows the chips to be mass-produced, reducing costs.
Crucially, PICs can overcome the expected limit to Moore’s Law and will also help tackle energy sustainability issues. PICs are currently used in the data and telecom industry to reduce the energy consumption per bit and increase speeds. With data and internet use expected to be around 10% of global electricity consumption by 2027, PICs provide a powerful way to limit the impact on the climate. Photonic circuits will also soon play an important role for innovative sensors that can be mass-produced, leading to earlier diagnostics of diseases, safe autonomous vehicles and infrastructure, and more efficient food production.
Ewit Roos, CEO at PhotonDeltaThis investment is a game-changer. It will make the Netherlands the home of the next generation of semiconductors which will have a profound impact on the whole European tech industry.
The ongoing chip shortage highlights the pressing need for Europe to create its own production capabilities for strategic technologies. We will now be able to support hundreds of startups, researchers, producers and innovators to boost this industry that will be as impactful as the introduction of microelectronics a few decades ago.
The Netherlands is considered a pioneer in the development of PIC technology, and thanks to the continuous support from the Dutch government, we have been able to build a full supply-chain around it that is globally recognized as a hotspot for photonic integration.
Photonic chips are one of the most important technological breakthroughs of the last decade. Not only do they allow for the creation of devices that are faster, cheaper, more powerful and greener – they also enable radical new innovations like affordable point-of-care diagnostics or quantum computing to become a reality.
EFFECT Photonics is honored to be part of the allocation of the National Growth Fund. It is an exciting time for our industry and this kind of on-going support and funding from the Dutch government will bring the maturity and scalability of the Dutch photonics eco-system to the next level and allow us to compete on truly global scale.
Boudewijn Docter at President EFFECT Photonic
For EFFECT Photonics this means that that we will be able to build on our ambition to make photonics simpler, more accessible, and affordable as we further the development of our next generation coherent solutions including the integration of our recently acquired DSP capabilities.
Our thanks go to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate for making this possible and to PhotonDelta for their guidance, organization, and coordination. We very much look forward to working together in the coming months and years to further drive innovations and value in our industry.
The PhotonDelta proposal has been submitted by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy in close collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), University of Twente (UT), Delft University of Technology (TUD), Holst Centre, TNO, IMEC, PITC, CITC, OnePlanet, SMART Photonics, LioniX International, EFFECT Photonics, MantiSpectra, PhotonFirst, PHIX, and BRIGHT Photonics.
The PhotonDelta ecosystem currently consists of 26 companies, 11 technology partners and 12 R&D partners. The organization is part of a consortium which has jointly invested €171 million in promising photonics companies including SMART Photonics, PhotonFirst, Surfix, MicroAlign, Solmates and EFFECT Photonics.
ENDS
*Conditions include:
Data & Telecoms: The biggest challenge within this domain is the high energy consumption of data infrastructure. Without any savings made, the share of data and internet use is expected to be around 10% of global electricity consumption by 2027. This includes energy consumption by end-users on the one hand and data centers on the other. 5G, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence will further accelerate this. Photonics provides gains in speed, weight, and energy consumption.
Healthcare: The development of mobile, wearable photonic devices (combined with advanced biosensors for direct point-of-care diagnostics and treatment that measure the medical condition and well-being of the wearer) can contribute to early detection and diagnosis of diseases, as well as an earlier and more targeted treatment. Photonics will eliminate the need for a visit to the hospital for many treatments or consultations.
Mobility: The biggest challenge in automotive in the near future lies in the availability of affordable sensors to enable autonomous driving at various stages. With the advantages of photonic chips (weight, speed, cost), the possibilities for self-driving transport are increasing. This has positive implications for road safety and lost travel time is made available again. Photonics can also mean a lot for battery management in electric vehicles and the control of traditional cars. For the aircraft industry, the emphasis is on sensor systems.
AgriFood: To feed a world population that is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, a drastic increase in food production is needed. But this must be done in a sustainable way: without excess nitrogen or excess CO2 emissions and preferably also in a way in which animal proteins have made way for vegetable proteins. In addition, food safety is an important precondition. The solution lies in precision agriculture, something in which photonics can play a major role. Sensor systems that run on photonics ensure that all requirements regarding safety, health, and sustainability can be met.
Full list of PhotonDelta partners (47):
| Core partners (supply-chain) 25: LioniX International BRIGHT Photonics SMART Photonics PHIX PhotonFirst Aixscale Photonics EFFECT Photonics Pilot Photonics QuiX Quantum Delta Diagnostics Surfix Diagnostics Nostics EFI Instruments Amazec VTEC lasers & sensors MantiSpectra OmmatidiaLidar Demcon Memscan Neuruno Deloq Fuqon Tarucca Aircision | Suppliers (technology partners) 11: Bruco ASML Aixtron Solmates Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) Etteplan Tyndall Salland Engineering TNO IMS MicroAlign | R&D partners (12): Photonic Integration Technology Center (PITC) University of Twente Eindhoven University of Technology TU Delft Imec Holst Centre OnePlanet Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology TNO Fraunhofer HHI MIT HighTech XL |
Technical information on photonics tech: https://www.photondelta.com/how-it-works/
The goal is for accelerated, far-reaching further development of the photonics ecosystem and industrial development. Spread over 3 axes:
PhotonDelta is an ecosystem that researches, designs, develops, and manufactures solutions with integrated photonics technology. Connecting pioneers in the field with investors, and viable markets, PhotonDelta helps to take the industry forward with funding, investments and R&D roadmaps. PhotonDelta is located in the Netherlands but connects and collaborates throughout Europe. www.photondelta.com
In December 2018, a covenant was signed in which Dutch companies, knowledge institutions and governments pool a total of € 236 million in cash and in-kind resources, with the aim of exploiting the leading knowledge position in the field of integrated photonics and thus creating a strong economic position in the world.
The PhotonDelta partners together form a cohesive and co-operative industrial cluster. The ambitions and strategy for 2019-2026 are laid down in the PhotonDelta National Plan of the Dutch government, which is structured along four strategic pillars. The PhotonDelta Foundation is the implementing organization for this plan and started its activities on 1 January 2019.
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