ABOUT THE EUROPEAN SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (ESIA)

The European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) is the voice of the Semiconductor Industry in Europe. Its mission is to represent and promote the common interests of the Europe-based semiconductor industry towards the European Institutions and stakeholders in order to ensure a sustainable business environment and foster its global competitiveness.

Semiconductors underpin a significant part of the European and worldwide economy. Their role will continue to grow as future products and services will become more digital and interlinked. The semiconductor industry provides the key enabling technology solutions for society in the fields of energy efficiency, mobility, health care, security and across the ICT sector including the realization of the smart grid and more efficient lighting. Semiconductors are also the building blocks for better security, for the safety and efficiency of the whole transport systems and for environmental monitoring. No societal challenge can be successfully met without them.

The industry was ranked as the most R&D intensive sector by the European Commission in 2011 and supports around 200,000 jobs directly and more than 1,000,000 indirect jobs in Europe. The global turnover of the semiconductor sector alone was around €230 billion in 2013 while the value of products comprising micro- and nano electronic components represents around € 1,250 billion. The impact of micro- and nano-electronics on the whole economy is estimated at 10% of the worldwide GDP.

Members

• ANNIE- Federazione del Sectore electrotecnico ed electronico (Italy)
• Bosch
• Fachverband der Elektro-und Elektronikindustrie (Germany)
• Fraunhofer Mikroelectronic
• Global Foundries
• Imec
• Infineon
• Intel
• Lantiq
• Leti
• LFoundry
• Micron
• Micronas
• Nanium
• NMI
• NXP
• Renesas
• Rohm Semiconductor
• ST
• Texas Instruments
• XFAB
• ZVEI

Public Policy

ESIA represents the interests of the semiconductor industry to the European Institutions as well as other relevant stakeholders. Advocacy activities, both at the European and International levels, cover a large number of areas relevant to the further growth of the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry.

ESIA activities include a large range of issues across the regulatory framework, such as industrial competitiveness, research and development, environmental and safety compliance, protection of intellectual property and anti-counterfeiting etc. International trade issues, such as the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade also play an important role. ESIA advocates open markets for all semiconductor products including e.g. semiconductors with encryption capabilities, multi-component ICs (MCOs) as well as further liberalization in the context of the WTO, more specifically the Information Technology Agreement (ITA).

International Trade: ESIA aims to facilitate cooperation between its members and to proactively represent the European semiconductor industry's issues related to international trade at both the European and global level.

Competitiveness & Innovation: Through its members, ESIA aims to create a level playing field vis-à-vis other dominant regions of semiconductor production. Another key aspect of the ESIA competitiveness strategy is to ensure that the 'valley of death' i.e.; the gap between the new ideas created by basic research and their subsequent commercialisation and deployment in the marketplace is overcome.

Sustainability & Environment, Safety and Health: The ESIA Sustainability & Environment, Safety and Health Committee, together with specific working groups are active directly on technical cooperative projects and regulatory issues of value to members.

Anti-Counterfeiting: Semiconductor counterfeiting can create significant implications for national critical infrastructure and the safety, security and health of communities and the end consumers. ESIA is active together with its members, customs officials and other relevant stakeholders to tackle this issues.

Intellectual Property: The semiconductor industry is one of the most R&D intensive industries. In such an environment Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are essential to protect innovations and to ascertain that newly developed technology can be kept proprietary and, if desired, be exchanged against an appropriate compensation.

Internet of Things: The Internet of Things can potentially be the next technological revolution. ESIA is working with the relevant stakeholders in order to make sure the challenges regarding security and privacy are considered as an integral part of the approach and technology selections.

Smart Grids: Semiconductors enable society to use alternative energy sources more effectively, distribute them more efficiently and consume them in the most efficient and user friendly way - they are a key enabling part of the smart grid programmes that many countries in Europe are launching. ESIA’s smart grid committee and its experts advise the European Commission on the coordination and EU wide implementation of smart grids.