The European Commission has approved €76 million in German state aid for QuantumDiamonds GmbH to set up a new semiconductor testing equipment production facility in Munich.
The funding will be provided as a direct grant and will support QuantumDiamonds’ “IPF-ATEST” project, the Commission announced on Tuesday.
The company will develop and manufacture advanced “metrology and inspection” systems — equipment used to measure and check semiconductor chips during production — based on quantum sensors, the Commission said.
It added that the technology is designed to enable high-resolution and 3D testing of modern chips.
The Commission pointed out that the Munich site will be the first production facility in the EU for semiconductor metrology and inspection systems based on quantum sensing.
Under the terms of the measure, QuantumDiamonds has agreed to collaborate with universities and research institutions and to make part of the facility available to early-stage high-tech companies, start-ups and academic laboratories.
The company also committed to fulfill orders on a priority basis if shortages occur.
Part of Germany’s wider semiconductor funding call
Germany launched a call for proposals in November 2024 for innovative investment projects across the European semiconductor value chain, and the decision announced on Tuesday covers the fifth project pre-selected under that process, the Commission said.
The approval was made under EU state aid rules, and the Commission said it assessed the measure under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows support for certain economic activities under specific conditions.
A non-confidential version of the decision will be published later under case number SA.120180 in the Commission’s state aid register once confidentiality issues have been addressed.
