We are driving the development next-generation resilient chips for critical sectors through the project

In a global context marked by semiconductor shortages and growing dependence on foreign technologies, Europe has placed strategic microelectronics at the center of its diary . Initiatives such as the European Chips Act set the goal achieving 20% of global semiconductor production by 2030, strengthening digital autonomy and the resilience of critical sectors such as energy, advanced manufacturing, and space.

framework within this framework that SoC4CRIS-II framework , building on project , which enabled the Basque Country to design, for the first time, a complex chip based on the open RISC-V architecture, integrating industrial communications, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and functional safety. This first phase marked a technological milestone by positioning the Basque ecosystem on the European map of advanced design (SoC) design .

Next-generation chips for mission-critical applications

goal of this new phase is development next-generation development advanced capabilities in resilience, computer vision, and hybrid communications, designed for critical applications where reliability, energy efficiency, and security are requirements .

One of the project strategic pillars project design advanced 22-nm nodes, with manufacturing at European foundries such as GlobalFoundries in Germany. This advancement will enable the development of more integrated, efficient, and powerful chips, optimizing power consumption, performance, and integration density— core topic factors core topic industrial and aerospace environments.

SoC4CRIS-II also incorporates architectures that are resilient to cosmic radiation—a critical capability for space-based devices and one that is increasingly in demand in high-reliability terrestrial applications, such as energy infrastructure and advanced industrial systems. The project also project the development computer vision coprocessors for real-time image and video processing, as well as sub-nanosecond-synchronized processors, which will open the door to new applications in distributed analytics and hybrid conventional-quantum communications.

Ceit contribution

In this context, Ceit its research optimizing radiation-tolerance techniques for the RISC-V microcontroller designed by the center itself for space applications. The work begin with FPGA prototyping to validate architectures and fault-mitigation mechanisms, with the goal of implementing them in a 22-nm ASIC.

This contribution is directly aligned with two of the project main objectives: design leading European research centers and the development architectures that are robust against radiation effects, thereby strengthening the transfer of knowledge industrially viable solutions for strategic sectors.

The project part of the Basque Government’s Elkartek grant program and is led by theAPERT research group at the University of the Basque Country. Alongside Ceit , the technology centers Tekniker and Ikerlan, the business group Connect Group, and the GAIA cluster Ceit .