A new report from the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and the French think tank Institut Montaigne warns that Europe’s semiconductor sector faces a bleak future, squeezed between Chinese export controls and a growing dependence on US technology.
The study, published on Thursday, forms part of an 18-month, EU-funded project called the Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative.
Its authors argue the risks to Europe’s chip industry have shifted meaningfully over the past year, with Washington now weighing almost as heavily on Brussels’ mind as Beijing does.
Joris Teer, a policy analyst at EUISS and one of the report’s co-authors, told Reuters that “while Beijing still appears to be the biggest threat, dependence on Washington seems to have become of much greater concern under the second Trump administration.”
The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!The report points to China’s willingness to restrict exports of critical minerals and rare-earth magnets, materials essential to chipmaking equipment, as a persistent and immediate danger.
