On May 21st, 2026, Barcelona will host the PIXEurope Connect – Industry Ecosystem Building Day, a flagship event aimed at gathering leading experts in the photonics field, with institutional representatives and industry stakeholders. The event aims to align vision and expertise, and reinforce the outstanding technological potential and transformative capacity that the PIXEurope Pilot Line will have in accelerating collaborations and driving innovation in photonic chip technologies in Europe. The Cambridge Graphene Centre, University of Cambridge are proud to be partners in this initiative.
Hosted at Torre Glòries, Barcelona, the one-day meeting will bring together key stakeholders from across the semiconductor and photonics landscape, including policymakers, researchers, manufacturers and end-users, to strengthen Europe’s position in next-generation chip development and secure Europe's technological sovereignty in the photonic chips industry.
This landmark event will count with the presence of Óscar López Águeda, Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Núria Montserrat, Minister for Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia, Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking, Werner Steinhögl,Head of Sector in Unit Microelectronics and Photonics Industry from the European Commission and Oriol Romero‑Isart, Director of ICFO, coordinating institution of the PIXEurope Pilot Line. Together, they will be highlighting, at an institutional, national and European leadership position, the strong commitment of these institutions to advancing Europe’s semiconductor and photonic integrated chip strategy.
Why integrated photonics?
We live in an increasingly digital world where almost all online activities rely on large-scale data storage and processing centres. These data centres require enormous amounts of energy, not only to run computing operations but also to maintain cooling systems. Today, they account for around 1.5% of global electricity consumption, a figure projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to double by 2030 – equivalent to Japan's entire annual electricity use – and potentially quadruple by 2035.
The IEA warns that this expansion is already running into physical bottlenecks: supply chains for key energy components have tightened, and energy grid infrastructure approval processes are being strained by the volume of new projects. The agency estimates that without significant infrastructure investment, up to 20% of planned data centre projects could face delays. Meeting the energy demands of the digital economy without compromising climate commitments or economic competitiveness will require a fundamental shift in how data centres consume energy. In this context, the integration of photonic chips or photonic integrated circuits (PICs) into strategic technology roadmaps becomes essential. Photonic chips use light instead of electricity to transport and process information inside circuits. This allows much faster communications with significantly lower energy consumption than conventional electronic chips. For this reason, photonic chips could reduce energy consumption in data centres by 30% or more, while improving speed and scalability, generating significantly less heat and thus reducing cooling requirements. The photonic chips industry is also expected to grow up to 800% in market growth over next decade, as demand rises for faster and more efficient computing. By enabling faster and more energy‑efficient data transmission and processing, PICs offer a path to overcoming the limitations of conventional electronic solutions while securing long‑term competitiveness in an energy‑constrained digital world.
In addition to computing, photonic chips are expected to enable breakthroughs in medical diagnostics, LiDAR sensing, telecommunications, quantum information technologies and quantum computing. In each case, their core properties (speed, precision, miniaturization and low energy consumption) address limitations that conventional electronic chips cannot overcome.
The following are only some examples:
- In medical diagnostics, PIC-based biosensors can detect biological markers such as proteins or DNA sequences with high specificity, enabling high-precision point-of-care diagnostic devices outside traditional laboratory settings.
- In autonomous vehicles, PIC-based LiDAR systems are being developed to improve performance and reduce cost compared to conventional mechanical systems.
- In quantum computing, PICs provide the precise control of photonic qubits necessary for quantum information processing.
Overview of the event
The event is designed to demonstrate how PIXEurope can bridge the gap between research and industrial deployment of photonic chips, with a strong focus on industry and real-world applications. The program will show how PIXEurope can help companies develop photonic chips faster by giving access to shared expertise, advanced facilities, prototyping, manufacturing, testing and specialised training.
The day aims to bring together suppliers, designers, manufacturers and technology companies to discuss industry and market needs and challenges, build partnerships, foster collaborations and demonstrate how the Pilot Line and the broader PIXEurope ecosystem may support and facilitate the journey from lab to fab.
Advancing Europe’s photonic and semiconductor future
PIXEurope has the potential to become a key enabler of Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness in photonic integrated chips, addressing the urgent need for more powerful, scalable and energy‑efficient technologies in an increasingly digital world.
The initiative’s open-access model is designed to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, helping companies scale innovations more efficiently. By providing this open access to advanced infrastructure, collaborative R&D capabilities and facilitating expertise for the entire value chain, the PIXEurope Pilot Line bridges the gap between cutting‑edge research and industrial deployment, enabling faster innovation and market uptake. Strongly backed by regional, national and European institutions, PIXEurope is set to play a decisive role in strengthening Europe’s semiconductor and photonics ecosystem, supporting industry growth, reducing energy impacts and positioning Europe at the forefront of next‑generation chip technologies.
As global competition intensifies in advanced chip technologies, the Barcelona gathering is expected to serve as a catalyst for new partnerships and reinforce Europe’s commitment to leadership in integrated photonics and broader ambition to build a resilient and competitive semiconductor ecosystem.
The United Kingdom's fingerprint in PIXEurope
The United Kingdom participates in PIXEurope through the University of Southampton (CORNERSTONE) and the University of Cambridge (Cambridge Graphene Centre), whose complementary expertise is jointly directed at the integration of graphene and layered materials into photonic circuits – a frontier area with significant potential across communications, sensing and quantum technologies.
Southampton contributes silicon photonics fabrication expertise and supports the scale-up of technologies to 200 mm platforms across the consortium. Together with Cambridge, it develops a layered materials on silicon photonics hybrid integration platform, including associated process design kits and testing capabilities. The Cambridge Graphene Centre focuses on developing high-speed active photonic devices – including modulators, photodetectors and frequency mixers – operating across near- and mid-infrared spectral ranges using CMOS-compatible, wafer-scale processes suitable for industrial adoption.
The United Kingdom's total participation in PIXEurope amounts to ~10M€, combining European funding from Digital Europe and Horizon Europe with national contributions co-financed by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Innovate UK.
Adapted from a press release from PIXEurope.