IMSE is co-leading a European project that seeks to strengthen technological autonomy in semiconductors

The ODE4EC-AMS initiative, which brings together 25 partners from 11 countries and has a budget exceeding €15 million, seeks to boost European competitiveness and technological autonomy and facilitate access to advanced chip design technologies

The Institute of Microelectronics of Seville (IMSE-CNM)—a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Seville (US)—will co-lead the European ODE4EC-AMS project at the national level. The project aims to strengthen Europe's ambitions in the semiconductor sector by creating and maintaining an open-source design environment for analog and mixed-signal chips. With a budget exceeding €15 million and a planned duration of three years, the project is positioned as an alternative to reliance on non-European technologies.

This state of dependency limits our continent's ability to innovate, cultivate talent, and respond with agility to technological or geopolitical crises. Prioritizing open tools developed in Europe not only reduces this vulnerability but also strengthens technological autonomy, drives local innovation by democratizing access to critical technologies, and enhances security and control over the value chain.

This project will run in parallel with ODE4EC-DIG, which will develop these same open-source tools for digital designs. Each initiative mobilizes its own consortium of 25 European partners from academia, science, and industry, and together they aim to create a European open-source chip design ecosystem.

Strengthening European autonomy

The ODE4EC initiative maintains that a robust open-source ecosystem is a key factor for Europe to consolidate its own capabilities and achieve long-term sustainable competitiveness in semiconductor design. To this end, it fosters collaboration among research centers, universities, and leading companies across the continent, aiming to facilitate access to chip design, expand the pool of specialized talent, and provide European engineers and researchers with access to cutting-edge open tools and methodologies.

"ODE4EC-AMS is one of the strategic initiatives driven by the Chips Joint Undertaking to equip the European industry with open electronic design tools, workflows, and environments for analog, mixed-signal, and radio-frequency integrated circuits. Currently, this segment of the European semiconductor ecosystem remains reliant on a few commercial solutions; their high licensing costs hinder access to advanced design technologies for SMEs, startups, and university spin-offs. The project's open nature will help lower these barriers and expand Europe's capacity to generate new technological solutions," explains Rafael Castro, a researcher at IMSE-CNM and the lead for the institute's contribution to the project.

For Spain, joining ODE4EC-AMS will help consolidate its position in strategic initiatives such as the Chips Joint Undertaking and the PERTE Chip. For IMSE-CNM, the project will enable the institute to contribute its expertise in the automated design of analog, mixed-signal, and radio-frequency circuits to the development of a new generation of open-source integrated circuit design tools based on machine learning techniques.

The role of the Institute of Microelectronics of Seville

The Institute's participation in ODE4EC-AMS will be led by the Intelligent, Reliable and Secure Microelectronics group. In addition to its work on integrated circuit security and reliability, the group possesses extensive experience in design methodologies and automation for advanced CMOS technologies and radio-frequency applications.

IMSE-CNM's track record in radio-frequency circuit design and the development of advanced electronic design automation methodologies provides a solid foundation for contributing to the objectives of ODE4EC-AMS. Through this initiative, the Institute will strengthen its role as a leading Spanish center for the development of advanced methodologies and tools for integrated circuit design.