SPRIND and NADI Launch €40M AI-Native Chip Design Challenge

Germany's SPRIND and the Netherlands' NADI have launched a joint €40 million program, the AI-Native Chip Design Challenge, to accelerate European chip design and strengthen AI sovereignty. The initiative aims to cut development timelines from years to weeks by leveraging AI-driven design methods and combining Germany's industrial strength with Dutch semiconductor expertise. Running in two stages over 20 months, the first stage will fund seven teams with €2.6 million each, and the second will shortlist three teams for €7 million each, with additional technical and commercial coaching. The program seeks to produce production-ready designs for AI training and inference, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce Europe's dependence on US and Chinese semiconductors. This is the first collaborative funding challenge between the agencies, with NADI formally announced on 15 September 2026.