Riga Chip Summit 2026: Strengthening Europes Semiconductor Ecosystem

On 13 May 2026, the Latvian Chip Competence Centre hosted the Riga Chip Summit 2026, the first-ever semiconductor-focused summit in Latvia. The event marked a significant milestone for the Baltic and European semiconductor landscape, bringing together over 200 participants from 23 countries, including industry leaders, researchers, startups, investors, policymakers, and academic representatives from across the Baltics, Nordics, and wider Europe.

aCCCess and ENCCC Ecosystem Presentation

During the summit, aCCCess Coordinator Regis Hamelin presented the aCCCess initiative and the broader European Network of Chips Competence Centres (ENCCC) ecosystem. The session highlighted collaboration opportunities, support mechanisms for innovation, and pathways for strengthening Europe’s semiconductor capabilities.

Panel: Navigating Funding Pathways for Chip Innovation

A key highlight of the summit was the expert panel discussion titled:

“Navigating Funding Pathways for Start-ups and SMEs in Chip Development”

The panel brought together leading voices from across Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem:

• Pauls Irbins – Head of Latvian Chips Competence Centre

• Aidong Xu – Chief Business Development at Wave Photonics and Freelance Advisor & Consultant

• Kristo Klement – Head of Finance, Space Team Lead Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Chips Competence Centre board member

• Lukas Lassbacher – Head of Austrian Chip Competence Centre

• Mathieu Vafadar – Entrepreneur & former semiconductor executive

• Peter-Jan Hendrix – Manager Semicon Cluster HTNL and Partner Manager at ChipNL

The discussion focused on funding opportunities, scaling strategies, and the challenges faced by startups and SMEs in advancing chip technologies from concept to commercialization.

Driving Innovation and Collaboration

Throughout the summit, participants explored key topics shaping the future of the semiconductor industry, including:

• Semiconductor ecosystem development in Europe

• Photonics, AI, and IoT integration

• Chip design and prototyping platforms

• Commercialisation pathways and funding instruments

• Intellectual property protection

• Technology readiness and scaling

These discussions were closely aligned with the objectives of the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), reinforcing Europe’s ambition to strengthen its technological sovereignty.

Strategic Partnership Announcement

One of the most important milestones of the summit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Latvian Chip Competence Centre and the LMT Group.

This collaboration represents a major step toward bridging research and industry, with a focus on:

• Development of low-power mobile IoT connectivity chips

• Strengthening Latvia’s capabilities in high-tech product development

• Enhancing international competitiveness in semiconductor innovation

A Collaborative European Effort

The Riga Chip Summit 2026 was organised by the Latvian Chip Competence Centre in cooperation with:

• LMT Group

• Lithuanian Chips Competence Centre (ChipsC2-LT)

• Estonian Chips Competence Centre (KIIP)

The event successfully established itself as a key platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation within the European semiconductor ecosystem.

For more highlights and updates, visit the Latvian Chip Competence Centre’s LinkedIn page:
Latvian Chip Competence Centre LinkedIn