Ephos Secures €41.5M EU Chips Act Grant To Build Glass Photonic Chips Manufacturing Facility In Italy

Ephos, the leading producer of glass photonic chips, today announced it has secured a €41.5 ($49M) million 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 ($123M), 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.

About Ephos
Ephos designs and manufactures programmable photonic chips on glass for AI data centers and quantum computers. Glass enables ultra-low loss photonic solutions that are robust, scalable, and cost-effective. For more information, visit www.ephos.io.