Arm joins EuroCDP to accelerate Europe’s next generation of innovators

Europe has deep strengths in research, automotive, industrial technology and advanced engineering, and is also investing to strengthen its position across the semiconductor value chain. Under the European Chips Act, more than €43 billion (approximately $49 billion) in policy-driven investment is expected to support that ambition through 2030.

Strengthening Europe’s semiconductor position will depend not only on manufacturing capacity, but also on the region’s ability to design differentiated compute. That means giving more startups, SMEs, and research teams the ability to extend technical expertise into differentiated silicon and commercial products.

In her recent State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Europe to “massively boost” its computing capacity, linking the need for stronger European AI capabilities to the region’s independence. Strengthening Europe’s semiconductor design base will be an important part of building the compute foundation for that ambition.

Arm is joining that effort through the European Chips Design Platform (EuroCDP), a European Chips Act initiative funded by the European Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU). Through a strategic framework agreement, Arm becomes the first commercial IP provider to participate in EuroCDP, giving European innovators another route to proven Arm technology and ecosystem support.

What Arm brings to EuroCDP

Arm’s contribution to EuroCDP goes beyond access to individual IP products. The Arm compute platform brings together architecture, proven compute technologies, software, tools, and a global developer ecosystem that companies can build on as their products move from design to deployment.

More than 350 billion Arm-based chips have shipped to date, supported by an ecosystem of over 22 million developers. For EuroCDP participants, that means building on technology already deployed at global scale, with an extensive software ecosystem building on the Arm compute platform.

“Europe has no shortage of semiconductor talent or ambitious ideas. What our fabless startups need is the technology, ecosystem and support to turn that innovation into products that can compete globally. Arm brings industry-proven compute technology, deep technical support and a global software ecosystem that can help teams  accelerate development, focus on product differentiation and reduce time-to-market,” said Olivier Thomas, Deputy Head of Integrated Circuit and System Division at CEA, who leads the Arm partnership at EuroCDP.

Arm Flexible Access provides the route into that technology, with access to a broad portfolio of Arm IP alongside training and technical resources to support their designs. As of June 2026, the program had more than 300 active members worldwide, with members completing more than 400 tape-outs.

Qualifying early-stage semiconductor companies can also access the program through Arm Flexible Access for Startups, with no annual access fee subject to eligibility criteria. Additionally, for projects originating in academia, Arm Academic Access provides a complimentary route to Arm technology for non-commercial research and education.

Together, this gives teams greater room to explore technology and architecture choices before committing to a final design, which can help reduce development risk and allow more engineering resources to remain focused on the areas that differentiate their products.

Design support available through EuroCDP

Access to technology alone is only part of taking a new chip from design toward implementation. Companies also need specialist design expertise, software and tools as their product develop.

EuroCDP complements the technology available through the platform by establishing Design Enablement Team that can provide engineering support to participating companies during SoC development. Many of the Design Enablement Teams are also Arm Approved Design Partners with expertise in building and validating Arm SoCs.

That additional expertise can help teams progress their designs, while keeping more of their own engineering resources focused on core product development and differentiation.

Arm’s commitment to Europe’s semiconductor future

Europe’s sovereignty agenda starts with the technology foundations that underpin its industries. A stronger semiconductor design base will matter across AI and digital infrastructure, automotive, industrial, connectivity and edge markets, and to the European companies seeking to compete in them.

“At EuroCDP, we are committed to helping European companies access these capabilities and build on them. By combining Arm’s proven technology platform with EuroCDP’s support, we are giving Europe’s next generation of semiconductor innovators a stronger foundation to scale faster and make a global impact,” said Romano Hoofman, Strategic Development Director at imec and Coordinator of EuroCDP.

Through EuroCDP, Arm will continue working with industry, research organizations and policymakers to strengthen Europe’s chip design ecosystem and support the companies building its next generation of technology.