Silicon Austria Labs joins €400M PIXEu­rope initia­tive to boost Inte­grated Photonics with Thin-Film Lithium Niobate

Graz/​Barcelona, June 10, 2025 – Kick-off PIXEu­rope: Coor­di­nated by ICFO, the PIXEu­rope Pilot line offi­cially kicks-off in Barcelona and unites leading Euro­pean re­search insti­tu­tions to estab­lish the world’s first Open Access photonic inte­grated circuit ecosystem. PICs, which transmit data using light instead of elec­trical signals, enable commu­ni­ca­tion with higher band­width and lower energy consump­tion. These chips will repre­sent the back­bone of future 6G networks, data centers, arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence or biomed­ical devices. By inte­grating multiple func­tions into a single chip, PICs reduce manu­fac­turing costs and enable novel appli­ca­tion areas, posi­tioning Europe as a global leader in next-gener­a­tion photonic tech­nolo­gies.

Austrian Minister for Inno­va­tion Peter Hanke comments: “Re­search and tech­nology are the driving forces behind Austria's produc­tivity and compet­i­tive­ness. It is there­fore impor­tant to me to make targeted invest­ments in inno­va­tion, even in diffi­cult budgetary times. The PIXEu­rope pilot line is another strategic mile­stone for Europe as a tech­nology loca­tion. Through Silicon Austria Labs, Austria is once again making a strong contri­bu­tion to accel­er­ating tech­no­log­ical progress, strength­ening indus­trial perfor­mance and supporting the EU's goals in the area of digital and green trans­for­ma­tion. In addi­tion, the initia­tive will contribute to the creation of high-tech jobs and strengthen Europe's tech­no­log­ical sover­eignty.”

SAL’s Contri­bu­tion: Advancing High-Perfor­mance Mate­rials and Inte­gra­tion Tech­nolo­gies

SAL will leverage its leading exper­tise in inte­grated photonic and thin-film inte­gra­tion to contribute to devel­oping scal­able, high-perfor­mance fabri­ca­tion processes and ensure smooth tech­nology transfer to indus­trial part­ners. A key focus for SAL will be the inte­gra­tion of high-perfor­mance electro-optic mate­rials such as Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) and Aluminum Nitride (AlN). These mate­rials will be inte­grated onto silicon and silicon nitride PIC plat­forms, enabling ultra-fast modu­la­tion, low-power photonic signal process­ing, and broad­band oper­a­tion. Such capa­bil­i­ties are essen­tial to real­izing next-gener­a­tion green and effi­cient photonic tech­nolo­gies.

Mohssen Moridi, Senior Director at SAL: “We are proud to be a key player in this pilot line and collab­o­rate with other major players in Europe. Our capa­bil­i­ties in inte­grating TFLN and AlN onto 200mm wafer plat­forms — combined with advanced micro­fab­ri­ca­tion — will unlock new appli­ca­tion fields and strengthen Europe’s posi­tion in photonic chip inno­va­tion.”

Empow­ering Europe’s Tech­no­log­ical Future

PIXEu­rope repre­sents a signif­i­cant leap forward in Europe’s goal to lead in photonic chip devel­op­ment. By enabling faster proto­typing, scal­able produc­tion, and open access to the next gener­a­tion of photonic tech­nolo­gies, the initia­tive will empower star­tups, SMEs, and estab­lished industry players alike to thrive in the fast-evolving digital economy.

About Silicon Austria Labs (SAL)

Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) was founded in 2018 as a top non-univer­sity re­search center in the field of Elec­tronics and Soft­ware Based Systems. At its loca­tions in Graz, Villach and Linz, re­search is conducted on key tech­nolo­gies in the fields of Microsys­tems, Sensor Systems, Power Elec­tronics, Intel­li­gent Wire­less Systems and Embedded Systems. SAL brings together key players from industry and science and thus valu­able exper­tise and know-how, and conducts coop­er­a­tive, appli­ca­tion-oriented re­search along the value chain. The aim is to accel­erate the value creation process from idea to inno­va­tion – with excel­lent re­search and economic bene­fits. Owners are the Republic (50.1%), the Provinces of Styria and Carinthia (10% each), the Province of Upper Austria (4.95%) and the Asso­ci­a­tion for the Elec­tric and Elec­tronics Industry (24.95%).