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SEMI joins ReSiLient consortium to strengthen Europeâs silicon and SiC raw material value chains
SEMI has joined the ReSiLient consortium to strengthen Europe’s silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) raw material value chains, addressing a critical semiconductor supply chain bottleneck and advancing global resilience. Kicking off in 2026, the €9.57 million, 48-month Horizon Europe Innovation Action (Grant No. 101294649) brings together 18 partners from nine European countries. SEMI Europe will lead Work Package 8 on social acceptance, dissemination, communication, and standardization, driving stakeholder engagement across at least 10 EU member states and anchoring activities around SEMICON Europa 2026 in Munich (10–13 November). The project targets four strategic objectives: mapping critical dependencies on imported Si and SiC feedstocks; developing primary (domestic minerals like olivine and aplite) and secondary (industrial waste streams) production routes using hydrometallurgical leaching, hydrogen plasma refining, and carbothermic conversion at pilot scale; qualifying project-produced materials for real semiconductor manufacturing via Czochralski crystal growth and SiC boule production, benchmarked by end-users STMicroelectronics Silicon Carbide AB and Infineon Technologies; and defining commercial pathways, IPR frameworks, and regulatory compliance for scale-up. “Securing Europe’s access to silicon and silicon carbide is a strategic industrial imperative,” said Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe. “ReSiLient tackles critical raw material bottlenecks at the foundation of Europe’s semiconductor and power device industries.” The consortium includes Sintef, Wacker Chemie, Topsil Globalwafers, MEMC Electronic Materials, SCR-Sibelco, and others, spanning the full microelectronics value chain.