On January 27, 2026, one of our researchers Prof. Jiří Blažek (Faculty of Science, CUNI), took part in the Bridging the Gap: Central Europe’s Silicon Future conference, organized by the CHIPDIPLO initiative in cooperation with the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster and the Czech Semiconductor Centre. The SCRC Director Dr. David Emler also attended the event.

Prof. Blažek primarily spoke in the opening panel titled “The Role of Europe in the U.S.–China Tech Rivalry,” where he stressed that there are significant differences between semiconductor ecosystems across Europe, a fact that must be taken into account when formulating common strategies. He described the current state of the European semiconductor industry as relatively stable: Europe is not significantly increasing its share of the global market, but importantly, it is also not losing ground. Furthermore, he highlighted Europe’s strong position in several critical segments of the semiconductor value chain. These include raw materials, particularly those produced in Germany, as well as Europe’s leadership in ultra-pure gases, advanced electron microscopes, and cutting-edge lithography technologies represented by ASML.

The discussion also addressed the growing impact of geopolitics on the semiconductor industry. Prof. Blažek referred to “warfare-driven political decoupling,” including trade restrictions and export controls, as key factors influencing corporate strategies. To illustrate global dependencies, he raised the question of how companies such as NVIDIA would be affected by a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, underlining the world’s reliance on TSMC.

Overall, Prof. Blažek’s participation was highly valuable, as he provided insightful perspectives while representing the SCRC. We look forward to his continued involvement in future events and discussions!