The European conversation around chips and semiconductors is currently dominated by eye-catching figures and headlines about billion-euro infrastructure investments. Yet, according to Braulio Quintana, Head of Celestia Chip—the microelectronics division of Celestia TST—the true competitive edge lies not in building massive factories, but in mastering design, prototyping, packaging, testing, and direct customer engagement, all underpinned by efficient governance and clear performance metrics.
Braulio, also a member of AESEMI, reinforces the case for smart specialisation in his recent opinion piece published in El Español: "If Spain wants to position itself strategically, it must focus where value is driven by talent, access to EDA tools and PDKs, and operational discipline—not by chasing an unlikely mega-factory."
For those unfamiliar with microelectronics terminology, EDA software and PDK tools enable engineers to design and verify chips and integrated circuits, tailoring their designs to the specific manufacturing processes of each technology.
Diagnosis: Where Are the Margins and the Opportunity?
Sustainable margins today are found in chip architecture and IP development, as well as in post-wafer processes such as packaging, testing, and reliability. Winning ecosystems are those that turn ideas into MPWs (multi-project wafer runs), scale pilot batches, and deliver high-quality final products. Spain doesn’t need to cover the entire value chain—it needs to specialise where it can become indispensable and a sector benchmark.
Four Strategic Bets for the Future
- Chip Design and IP (EDA/IP)
- Real value lies in architecture, verification, and sector-specific adaptation. Well-trained teams with access to design and verification tools can create exportable IP and SoCs (System-on-Chip) for automotive, energy, healthcare, and emerging markets.
- Integrated Photonics
- The rise of high-bandwidth communications and smart sensors demands the integration of electronics and photonics. Moving these solutions into pilot production opens doors to global supply chains without disproportionate investment.
- Advanced Packaging and Testing
- Increasingly, differentiation is achieved through assembly, certification, and component testing—offering a realistic entry point for Spanish SMEs and tech centres.
- Metrology and Reliability
- Investing in testing and analysis capabilities reduces failure rates and improves margins, accelerating innovation cycles across the ecosystem.
What Does Spain Need to Seize the Opportunity?
- A single-window governance model with public SLAs (Service Level Agreements)
- A stable and transparent calendar for MPW runs
- Dual training and upskilling programmes for technical and engineering profiles
- Fast-track programmes to attract strategic talent in digital design, verification, packaging, and testing
Two Urgent Measures for 2026
- A National Design Contract (EDA/IP). Centralised negotiation of academic and industrial licences, access to industrial PDKs, promotion of open standards (RISC‑V), and regular prototyping windows in key technologies.
- An Innovative Public Procurement Programme. Stimulating demand for sensors, secure communications, and specialised processors—with hospitals, energy networks, transport, and defence as early adopters—while embedding interoperability and cybersecurity from the design phase.
The Vision: Building a Sustainable Future Beyond 2026
Spain stands at the beginning of a wave of opportunity for its national ecosystem. But success requires continuity, planning, and execution. The country can become essential in design, integration, testing, and reliability—if it moves from announcements to timelines, and from timelines to delivery.
“Less concrete, more brainpower” is not just a slogan—it’s a management discipline: choosing where to compete, investing wisely, measuring outcomes, and delivering on time.
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