Events
French Silicon Night 2026: Strengthening France–Taiwan Semiconductor Cooperation
France and Taiwan align their industrial ambitions
On September 1, 2026, public officials, researchers and entrepreneurs gathered at Taiwan Tech Arena on the eve of SEMICON Taiwan to explore the next stage of semiconductor cooperation. Their discussions pointed to a shared priority: turning the strengths of the French, European and Taiwanese ecosystems into products, market opportunities and industrial partnerships.
Organised by La French Tech Taiwan and the French Office in Taipei, with support from the French Chamber Taiwan, the programme combined institutional remarks, a panel discussion and startup presentations. Opening speakers included Frédéric Laplanche, the new Director of the French Office in Taipei, and Cerise Phiv, Co-president of La French Tech Taiwan. The evening centred on one question for the industry: how can Europe’s research and chip-design capabilities work with Taiwan’s industrial expertise?
A joint fund to support collaboration
On the financing side, Bpifrance and ITIC are pursuing a joint initiative. Led by Karen Yu, ITIC is the investment arm of Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute. A memorandum of understanding signed on June 17, 2026, lays the groundwork for a joint investment vehicle with a target size of €50 million, to be funded equally by both parties. The vehicle could become operational during the first half of 2027.
The initiative will focus on semiconductors, artificial intelligence and related deep-tech fields. It is intended to support companies building cross-border operations between France and Taiwan, whether in research, manufacturing or commercial development. For young companies, the challenge is to secure both capital and partners capable of helping them reach the market.
Designing chips in Europe and producing them with Taiwan
The panel examined how EU–Taiwan semiconductor cooperation could strengthen economic security through more resilient supply chains. It brought together Pierre Chastanet of the European Commission, Bruno Paing of CEA-Leti, SiPearl CEO Philippe Notton and ITRI Senior Vice-president Stephen Su, alongside Victoria Grellety of the French Office in Taipei. Notton argued for a product-led sequence: Europe should first develop more chip-design companies, win customers and generate the volumes that could later justify additional manufacturing capacity on the continent.
The fabless model, in which companies design chips while outsourcing production to a foundry, already provides a practical route for cooperation with Taiwan. The SiPearl chief executive stressed that the growth of such companies also depends on recruiting engineers, gaining access to finance and securing initial orders. Promising technology needs customers before it can persuade investors. Chastanet highlighted Europe’s drive to strengthen its chip-design capabilities and described the expected role of the European Chip Design Platform. By pooling resources and aggregating demand from startups, the platform is intended to lower barriers to development and make it easier for smaller firms to work with manufacturers.
Connecting research more closely with industry
For Bruno Paing, the success of research programmes should be measured by their industrial impact. Cooperation can begin with lower-maturity technologies and shared challenges before the results are transferred to companies. As applications become more concrete, intellectual property and relationships with industrial partners make collaboration more sensitive. Even so, the energy demands of AI and the difficulty of connecting components offer promising areas for joint work.
Su emphasised the need for an ecosystem linking design, manufacturing and applications. Starting with user needs in areas such as healthcare, logistics and industry can help guide technology development. The discussion therefore focused on the practical conditions required for startups to succeed, from access to skills to commercialisation. Cooperation also depends on lasting relationships between teams and on the training of young talent.
Four startups addressing critical industry challenges
Presentations by Aniah, Diamfab, IIST and Nellow gave these themes a concrete form. Aniah develops circuit-verification tools designed to identify errors earlier in the design process. Diamfab is developing synthetic-diamond semiconductors for more efficient power electronics, with potential applications including the power systems used by data centres. Taiwan-based IIST focuses on hardware security, using the physical characteristics of chips to give devices a unique identity and strengthen trust. Nellow, meanwhile, aims to reduce chip energy consumption so that more AI computations can run directly on devices. Their technologies address different needs, but each company faces the same underlying test: turning innovation into a solution that can be deployed at scale.
French Silicon Night 2026 brought the practical levers of deeper cooperation into focus: financing projects, connecting research and design teams, and involving manufacturers and customers. The next measure of progress for France and Taiwan will be whether these ties lead to viable products and lasting industrial partnerships.
Sources: recordings from the event; official programme and speaker and startup profiles; Bpifrance press release dated June 17, 2026; LinkedIn posts by La French Tech Taiwan and SiPearl.
