On April 3, 2026, the SPINS (Semiconductor Pilot line for Industrial Quantum NanoSystems) project was launched, coordinated by Belgium’s imec. According to the announcement from imec, the €50 million ($54 million) pilot line brings together 25 European research and technology organizations, industry partners, and academic research groups.
SPINS is one of six quantum pilot lines established under the EU Chips Act, each focused on a distinct hardware platform. The SPINS line is dedicated to semiconductor-based spin qubits, with a primary focus on delivering quantum chips for quantum computing applications. Co-funding was provided by the EU’s Chips Joint Undertaking and the national and regional authorities of participating member states.
Imec’s role as coordinator reflects the research center’s existing capabilities in 300mm CMOS fabrication and its ongoing work on silicon spin qubits and superconducting qubits. Five complementary pilot lines cover photonics (P4Q), ion traps (CHAMP-ION), superconducting qubits (SUPREME), diamond quantum chips (DIREQT), and neutral atoms (Q PLANET).