Tampere's semiconductor hub: connecting key industry players

At the beginning of May, Tampere University opened the Chip Fusion Hub visitor center, focused on semiconductor expertise in Tampere, at a central location within the Kampusareena in Hervanta. The new center showcases semiconductor development in the Tampere region and the companies and organizations that have emerged around this field.

During May Day week, a new hub for semiconductor and chip development, Chip Fusion, opened at Tampere University’s Hervanta campus.
The center aims to bring together companies and other stakeholders working in chip design and development. Hervanta campus is home to research and education in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, architecture, and health technology. The campus is also neighbored by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland as well as a number of technology-driven companies.
The goal is for the Chip Fusion space to provide a comprehensive showcase of the region’s chip development expertise.

It brings together everything happening in Tampere.

Petri Räsänen, director (chips), Business Tampere

Support from Europe and academia

Tampere University has secured significant funding as part of the European Commission’s implementation of the EU Chips Act. According to the Commission’s website, the Chips Act aims to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and resilience in semiconductor technologies and applications, while also supporting both the digital and green transitions.

The visitor center offers an introduction to the university’s key research and development efforts in the chip sector. Featured highlights include the SiPFAB pilot line, backed by multi-million euro funding, the SoC Hub for system-on-chip expertise, and laboratories focused on optoelectronics (ORC) and future electronics (LFE).

Connecting companies, researchers, and the region

Tampere University is a natural location for a space designed to connect actors across the semiconductor field. One practical example of this collaboration is Vexlum and its CEO, Jussi-Pekka Penttinen, who attended the opening event. The Tampere-based company, which manufactures semiconductor lasers, represents the forefront of quantum technology expertise in the region. Founded in 2017, Vexlum is a university spin-off originating from Tampere University.

“I almost applied to Aalto, but the entrepreneurial opportunities at Tampere University convinced me to come here instead. Of course, we need PhDs too, but it’s great that universities offer a range of career paths,” Penttinen recalls about the start of his journey.

This year, Vexlum is aiming for a turnover of 6.5 million euros. The company currently employs 27 people.

A prominent product developer

Appointed in spring 2025 as director of Tampere University’s chip packaging pilot line (SiPFAB), Tuomas Lahtinen is eager to help strengthen Tampere’s reputation as a technology hub and to attract new talent and companies to the region. This spring, SiPFAB’s activities will focus on securing facilities, recruiting staff, and maintaining active collaboration networks.

“I’m originally from the Helsinki region, and I clearly see that Tampere University has exceptionally strong ties to the business sector,” Lahtinen notes appreciatively.

The university is establishing a pilot line for chip packaging to encourage companies to adopt cutting-edge technologies and to promote collaboration between academia and industry. Funded by the EU’s Chips Act initiative, the new SiPFAB line lowers the threshold for companies to develop their own chip production with support from the university.

Semiconductor leader: “A melting pot”

“It feels good, we’ve reached an important milestone. Chip Fusion brings together everything happening in Tampere,” says Petri Räsänen, Director of Semiconductor Affairs at Business Tampere.

Looking ahead, Räsänen envisions even broader collaboration. He notes that the network is set to expand to include universities of applied sciences as well as vocational education. Semiconductor expertise, he emphasizes, is a nationwide asset.

“On the national level, we continue to work closely with Technology Industries of Finland, Business Finland, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and VTT,” he adds.