SOITEC LAB

Their core work

Soitec Lab is the research and development division of Soitec, a French semiconductor company based in Bernin — a location synonymous with advanced semiconductor substrate manufacturing. Their H2020 work spans two distinct but related domains: leading-edge logic chip process technology at the 2nm node, and silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor materials for electric vehicles and smart grid systems. In the IT2 project they contributed specialist knowledge in semiconductor process, lithography, metrology, and design-technology co-optimization (DTCO/STCO), while in TRANSFORM they are a participant building a trusted European SiC supply chain. They sit at the start of the semiconductor value chain — enabling the chips and power devices that other industries depend on.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 engagement (IT2, starting 2020) was firmly rooted in advanced CMOS logic — Moore's Law scaling, lithography, metrology, and the process-design interface at the 2nm node. Their subsequent project (TRANSFORM, starting 2021) marks a clear pivot toward power electronics: SiC semiconductors, EV inverters, smart grids, and industrial automation. This shift from logic-node scaling toward green-economy power devices reflects a broader industry trend, and Soitec Lab appears to be tracking it deliberately — leveraging materials expertise from one domain to establish credibility in a fast-growing adjacent market.

Soitec Lab is moving from pure leading-edge logic chip materials toward power semiconductor substrates for clean energy, positioning itself as a dual-domain materials enabler across both compute and power electronics markets.

How they like to work

Soitec Lab does not lead EU consortia — they join as a specialist contributor or third party, lending deep process and materials expertise to projects led by others. Despite only two projects, they engaged with 67 unique partners across 14 countries, which is unusually broad and signals participation in large, industry-wide consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements. This pattern is consistent with a materials or substrate supplier whose value is precisely that they serve many players across the ecosystem rather than competing with them.

With 67 unique consortium partners across 14 countries from just two projects, Soitec Lab is embedded in large, strategically important European industrial alliances. Their partner density per project is exceptionally high, suggesting involvement in flagship EU semiconductor initiatives with broad industry participation.

What sets them apart

Soitec Lab occupies a rare position at the intersection of two high-priority European industrial strategies: advanced semiconductor manufacturing (EU Chips Act territory) and clean energy power electronics for the automotive and grid transition. Few French private companies hold credible technical roles in both 2nm logic process technology and SiC power device materials simultaneously. For consortium builders, this makes them a versatile upstream partner — a materials and process specialist who can add value whether the end application is a logic chip or an EV inverter.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRANSFORM
  Soitec Lab's highest-impact project — EUR 1,811,692 in direct EC funding to build a trusted European SiC semiconductor value chain, directly targeting the fast-growing EV inverter and smart grid markets.
• IT2
  Participation as a third party in one of Europe's most technically ambitious chip manufacturing programs, addressing 2nm node process technology at the frontier of Moore's Law scaling.