Catalonia strengthens its position in the semiconductor industry at SEMICON, Europe's leading trade fair

The Secretary for Business and Competitiveness of the Ministry for Business and Labour and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, Jaume Baró, attended the SEMICON Europa 2024 fair held in Munich, Germany, on Thursday and Friday. This is Europe’s foremost event for the electronics and semiconductor industry. The objective of the visit was to position Catalonia in these sectors and strengthen cooperative ties with Germany, particularly with the states of Saxony and Bavaria, two of Germany’s most significant regions in this industry.

“Catalonia aims to participate and play a central role in strengthening European tech sovereignty and productive capacity in semiconductors”

Jaume Baró, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment

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According to Jaume Baró, “Catalonia aims to participate and play a central role in strengthening European tech sovereignty and productive capacity in such a critical area as semiconductors.” He added, “Our presence at the leading sector fair and boosting collaboration with leading regions like Saxony and Bavaria enables us to showcase Catalonia’s potential and capabilities, along with those of its companies, to lead the European movement in this sector.”

The institutional trip to Munich was organized by the Directorate General for Industry and Catalonia Trade & Investment’s Office in Berlin as part of Catalonia’s strategy to promote its semiconductor industry. This visit allowed Baró to hold a working meeting with Tobias Gotthardt, Bavarian State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. During the meeting, both officials exchanged experiences and projects related to semiconductors in their respective regions and explored new avenues for collaboration.

Additionally, the ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment's Secretary and CEO took the opportunity to meet with representatives from Silicon Saxony, the leading association and cluster for microelectronics, semiconductors, photovoltaics, and software in Saxony, founded in 2000 and made up of some 500 sector companies. The area around Dresden, Freiberg, and Chemnitz is one of Europe’s major semiconductor hubs, producing one out of every three chips made on the continent. A delegation of about fifteen Catalan companies – members of the Catalonia Semiconductors and Chips Alliance – accompanied the Secretary and held business meetings with industry companies exhibiting at the Saxony stand.

At the SEMICON Europe 2024 fair, Baró also familiarized himself with projects from some Catalan companies exhibiting at this event, which is Europe’s reference meeting for electronics and semiconductors. Specifically, he met with the CEOs of five companies from the Secartys business association, which is dedicated to the development of the electronics industry: Cipsacircuits, Eurocir, Lab Circuits, Digiproces, and Benmayor.

Catalonia strengthens its position in the semiconductor industry

Baró's trip to Germany strengthens Catalonia’s role as a key player in constructing an active European chip and semiconductor production ecosystem. Recently, Catalonia was chosen to preside over the Alliance of European Semiconductor Regions (ESRA) in 2026, and this year, it has established the Catalonia Semiconductors and Chips Alliance with about fifty members.

According to data from ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment’s Semiconductors in Catalonia report, this ecosystem already includes 260 entities, including companies, institutions, technology centers, and research institutes. Together, these entities generate a turnover of €302 million and support a talent pool of over 4,600 highly qualified professionals. Moreover, Catalonia is the third region in the European Union to have attracted the most foreign investment projects in this field since the European Chips Act was announced in 2022.