SOITEC SA

Their core work

Soitec is a major French semiconductor manufacturer specializing in engineered substrates, particularly Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) wafers used across the electronics industry. They design and produce advanced substrate materials that underpin FDSOI (Fully Depleted SOI) chips for automotive, IoT, 5G communications, and quantum computing applications. Their core business is providing the foundational silicon wafers that chipmakers need to build faster, lower-power, and more efficient semiconductors. Within H2020, they contribute deep materials science and process expertise to Europe's semiconductor supply chain sovereignty efforts.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), Soitec focused on traditional SOI substrate engineering for RF applications, participated in next-generation node development (7nm, FDSOI), and addressed nano-safety concerns in semiconductor manufacturing. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward strategic European priorities: quantum computing materials (QLSI, MATQu), 5G/RF connectivity (BEYOND5), automotive autonomous driving (OCEAN12), and wide-bandgap semiconductors like SiC (TRANSFORM). This evolution reflects a company moving from being a substrate supplier into a strategic enabler of Europe's semiconductor sovereignty across multiple high-growth domains.

Soitec is rapidly diversifying from its traditional SOI base into quantum computing materials and wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC, LiNbO3), positioning itself as a multi-domain advanced substrate provider for Europe's chip independence strategy.

How they like to work

Soitec operates primarily as a strong participant (11 of 15 projects) but steps into coordination when the topic aligns directly with their core substrate technology — they coordinated REFERENCE, OCEAN12, and BEYOND5, all centered on SOI/FDSOI substrates. With 278 unique consortium partners across 23 countries, they function as a well-connected industry anchor in large ECSEL and IA consortia typical of Europe's semiconductor ecosystem. Their coordination of high-budget projects (up to EUR 4.2M EC contribution) shows they can lead when the technology domain is theirs, while comfortably contributing specialized materials expertise in broader initiatives.

Soitec has built an extensive European network of 278 unique consortium partners spanning 23 countries, anchored in France's Grenoble semiconductor cluster. Their partnerships reflect the broad, multi-country consortia typical of ECSEL Joint Undertaking projects in the European microelectronics ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Soitec is one of very few companies globally that manufactures engineered semiconductor substrates at industrial scale — they are not a chipmaker but the supplier chipmakers depend on. This upstream position gives them a unique role in EU projects: they enable technology at the materials level, making them a critical partner for any consortium working on advanced CMOS, RF, power, or quantum devices. Their Grenoble base places them at the heart of Europe's semiconductor R&D corridor, with direct connections to CEA-Leti and the broader French microelectronics ecosystem.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OCEAN12
  Largest EC contribution (EUR 4.2M) and coordinator role — drove FDSOI technology to 12nm for autonomous driving applications, demonstrating Soitec's ability to lead major industrial consortia.
• BEYOND5
  Coordinated with EUR 3.6M EC funding to build a fully European RFSOI supply chain for 5G, mmWave, and V2X — directly addresses semiconductor sovereignty.
• QLSI
  Marks Soitec's entry into quantum computing by contributing silicon substrates for large-scale qubit integration — signals a major strategic expansion beyond classical semiconductors.