AI chip demonstrators for EU compute infrastructure
Digital Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds working AI chip demonstrators and comparative validation, with an EU chip design company responsible for the design and intellectual property.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup.
- Amount
- €1M per projectTotal budget €10,000,000
- Deadline
- 01 Dec 2026 01:00 CETin 38 days
- Status
- Openopened 7 Jul 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
The expected outcomes of this topic are :
• Functional demonstrators of working AI chip prototypes (PCB-level) designed by EU fabless companies and physically integrated with their system partners.
• Validation of AI chip solutions on a common EU evaluation platform (provided by the Topic X.B consortium), delivering comparative evidence on key performance indicators.
• A shortlist of European AI chip solutions awarded the AI Compute Excellence label and qualified to proceed to full rack development under Topic X.A2.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- At least one beneficiary must be an EU-established AI chip design company.
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- AI chip prototypes
- PCB demonstrators
- System integration
- Chip performance validation
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Applications closed
- No
- Other condition
- The official Part B template asks applicants to list staff included in the project budget (budget category A) by function/profile and briefly describe their tasks. This is an application-planning prompt, not a call-specific headcount or hiring entitlement.
- Other condition
- The Simple Grant guide says the consortium will mostly use personnel costs to implement action tasks; subcontracting, financial support and purchase are possible but should be limited. It gives no individual salary, role, headcount or employment-term entitlement.
- Other condition
- The proposal must show that the chip has been taped out at a commercial foundry, with engineering samples available or expected within three months after the submission deadline; and that its host PCB is in production or expected before the end of the six-month development phase.
- Other condition
- Topic A2 rack-development is a subsequent phase; the 2026 call materials say it will not be launched in 2026. The Topic A1 label is an eligibility condition for participating in that later phase.
- Partner requirement
- Each proposal must include at least one EU-established AI chip design company as a beneficiary responsible for the AI chip design and associated intellectual property that is the subject of the proposal. System integrators or original equipment manufacturers may participate as beneficiaries where needed for demonstrator integration, software bring-up and benchmark readiness.
- Expected project duration
- 8 months
Expected action duration: six-month development plus up to two-month benchmark assessment support; not a staff-employment term.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €10,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Call allocation
- €10,000,000
Indicative EU call budget; not an individual project award or entitlement.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 50
Maximum EU reimbursement share of eligible costs for a for-profit non-SME beneficiary; lower contribution may be requested.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 50
Maximum EU reimbursement share of eligible costs for University/Other not-for-profit beneficiaries; lower contribution may be requested.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 50
Maximum EU reimbursement share of eligible costs for an SME beneficiary; lower contribution may be requested.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €1,000,000
Expected contribution estimate only; different amounts may be submitted and selected, so this is not a hard project cap.
Source documents
- Call-specific official Guide for Applicants
- Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme 2023–2027, Appendix 8, current 2026 call terms
- Chips JU official call-detail page
- Chips JU official call-deadline update, 16 October 2026
- Chips JU official Open and Upcoming Calls listing
- Official Part B application-form template (converted from retained original RTF)
Call facts
- Opens
- 7 Jul 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Digital Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-AI1-SG · DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-AI1-SG
- Types of action
- DIGITAL JU Simple Grants
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 23 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 15 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.