Barcelona-based Openchip unveils BER10, advancing Europe's digital sovereignty

Barcelona-based Openchip, a semiconductor company developing next-generation microprocessor technology, has unveiled BER10, a new processor designed to strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty.

Built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture, BER10 is an industrial-grade processor designed to give Europe greater control over the hardware powering critical sectors such as healthcare, finance, public services, and AI infrastructure. Manufactured using one of the world's most advanced semiconductor processes, the chip can already run real workloads, including Linux-based operating systems.

According to Openchip, the project was developed in just two and a half years, with the company building its engineering team and expertise entirely in Europe. Unlike a research prototype, BER10 is industrial-grade silicon that partners can already use to develop and validate new applications.

BER10 represents an important step toward strengthening Europe's capabilities in advanced processor design.

“Our goal was never just to build a chip, but to prove that Europe can design and deliver world-class silicon on open standards, on its own terms”

Cesc Guim, CEO of Openchip

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"When we started Openchip, the goal was never just to build a chip, but to prove that Europe can design and deliver world-class silicon on open standards, on its own terms," said Cesc Guim, CEO of Openchip. "BER10 is that proof, made real. It's a foundation for the digital sovereignty Europe needs, built on a more open and resilient value chain that ultimately benefits the global technology industry."

BER10 features four high-performance CPU cores capable of running a full Linux operating system, together with vector processing capabilities designed for AI, image processing, and scientific computing. It also incorporates high-speed memory and connectivity technologies commonly used in servers and data centers.

The launch also reflects the growing momentum of the RISC-V ecosystem. "BER10 confirms that 2026 is the year of highly powerful RISC-V application processor silicon and that RISC-V has already moved beyond experimentation into high-performing industrial-grade, real-world computing," said Andrea Gallo, CEO of RISC-V International.

Building on BER10, Openchip is now developing its first data center product and next-generation RISC-V compute accelerators for supercomputing and AI. The company is also collaborating with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to support its long-term technology roadmap.

Semiconductors in Catalonia

Catalonia is emerging as one of southern Europe’s leading semiconductor hubs, with a growing ecosystem focused on chip design, innovation, and talent development. The region combines a strong industrial base, research capabilities, and highly skilled professionals to support the growth of this strategic sector.

Semiconductors are key components for technologies across sectors such as automotive, healthcare, communications, computing, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. In recent years, Catalonia has attracted investments from global companies including Cisco, Monolithic Power Systems (MPS), and Intel, which have established semiconductor design activities in Barcelona. In addition, Catalan company IDEADED is developing the largest private semiconductor clean room in southern Europe.

Since the launch of the European Chips Act in 2022, Catalonia has become the EU’s third-leading region for foreign semiconductor investment projects. It is also Spain’s leading destination for the sector, concentrating 66.7% of projects, 70.7% of jobs created, and 40.3% of investment attracted.

Catalonia is also strengthening its role in Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. In 2026, the region is chairing the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance (ESRA), a network of European regions working to strengthen cooperation and support the development of the semiconductor industry across Europe.

Source: Openchip & Catalonia Trade & Investment