Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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38. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions his Department is taking to progress and prioritise the Irish National Semiconductor Strategy in order to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the European Chips Act. [31570/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I launched Silicon Island: Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy in May with the aim of positioning Ireland as a key regional hub in the European semiconductor value chain. To this end, my Department is currently leveraging the opportunities presented by the Chips Joint Undertaking of the European Chips Act.

Specifically, I-C3, the National Competence Centre for Semiconductors, has been established with Tyndall National Institute as co-ordinator and MIDAS Ireland, MCCI, UCD and NovaUCD as partners. I-C3 is one of 27 Chips Competence Centres across the EU being launched in 2025 as part of the European Chips Act. In that regard, I-C3 will provide SMEs, startups, and scale-ups with expertise and technological support to speed up innovation in the semiconductor sector.

In addition, my Department has ensured over €70 million in national and EU funding is earmarked for Tyndall’s participation in three EU Pilot Lines, strengthening links with leading semiconductor institutions like IMEC, Leti, and Fraunhofer. These pilot lines aim to bridge the gap between research and industrial deployment, as well as accelerating the development of advanced semiconductor technologies.

My Department is also utilising other EU instruments such as Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), Horizon Europe, and the Digital Europe Programme, combining national and EU funding to maximise impact for the semiconductor ecosystem in line with the aims of Silicon Island.

Finally, other key deliverables across Ecosystem Support (such as the IDA pursuing further significant FDI investments and our Programme for Government proposals for Next Generation Sites), Research & Talent, and International Co-operation, to be progressed during the lifetime of the Strategy, are detailed in Silicon Island which is available on my Department's website - www.enterprise.gov.ie.