Ephos, the leading producer of glass photonic chips, has announced securing a €41.5M grant from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, under the EU Chips Act, to build its new manufacturing facility in Italy. The project, representing a total investment of €104.9M, will establish the world’s first facility for processing advanced optical materials on glass.
The facility, named Fab-2, will enable Ephos to scale production of its first-of-its-kind process for manufacturing ultra low-loss, fast-switching photonic chips on glass substrates. These chips serve as a key building block of AI data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and quantum computers, addressing the rapidly growing demand for advanced chip technologies.
“As artificial intelligence reshapes our economies and geopolitical landscapes, advanced chip manufacturing has become a critical strategic asset,” says Andrea Rocchetto, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ephos. “With Fab-2, we are leveraging Europe’s exceptional engineering talent to deliver the essential components that power AI infrastructure.”
Ephos is the first startup to be awarded a grant under the framework of the European Chips Act. In receiving this highly competitive funding, Ephos joins some of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers: TSMC, Infineon, and STMicroelectronics.
The Fab-2 announcement comes just 10 months after Ephos opened Fab-1, its first R&D and manufacturing facility in Milan. Fab-1, which received backing from both the EU and NATO, has enabled Ephos to provide customers with advanced photonic chips from a trusted, secure supply chain.
