Oulu’s chip design expertise enters Europe’s semiconductor debate

Europe’s push to strengthen its semiconductor capacity is drawing renewed attention to places where advanced chip design, research and education already have deep roots. Oulu is one of them.

The topic was discussed at Chips from the Very North, a high-level event held at Oulu City Hall and organised by BusinessOulu and the Finnish Chips Competence Centre (FiCCC). 

The discussion also featured in recent Yle coverage of the European Union’s plans to strengthen microchip production in Europe. The article highlighted Oulu’s position as Finland’s leading centre for semiconductor design and noted the city’s long technology history.

Professor Aarno Pärssinen from the University of Oulu spoke at the event and placed Oulu’s role in a wider European context.

“Oulu is one of the most significant places in Europe where highly complex microchips can be designed using the latest technologies.”

According to Pärssinen, Oulu’s strength comes from decades of work at the intersection of research and industry. The region’s microelectronics expertise has grown through long-term collaboration between companies, the university and the wider technology ecosystem.

Research, industry and education meet in Oulu

The University of Oulu’s role extends beyond research and industrial cooperation. It also trains the next generation of experts for a field facing a global shortage of skilled people.

Advanced microchip development depends on highly educated specialists and sustained investment at sufficient scale. Doctoral graduates in microelectronics often move into some of the most demanding design roles in industry, where deep technical understanding is essential.

This makes education a strategic question for Europe’s semiconductor future. Manufacturing capacity matters, but Europe’s position also depends on its ability to design complex chips, develop new technologies and maintain a strong pipeline of expert talent.

A European discussion with northern roots

The Chips from the Very North event reflected the breadth of the semiconductor issue.

Pärssinen’s presentation set out why Oulu matters in European chip design. Derek Urbaniak, Head of System-on-Chip at Nokia, discussed SoC design for the future of digital infrastructure. Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking, addressed how the EU Chips Act and Chips JU are shaping Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. Juha Vartiainen, Co-Founder of IQM Quantum Computers, spoke about quantum processor design for Europe’s digital future.

Also speaking were Joonas Mikkilä from Technology Industries of Finland on Finland’s role in the semiconductor race, and Pekka Manninen from CSC on digital sovereignty, EuroHPC supercomputers and AI Factories, with LUMI as a case example.

The breadth of the speaker line-up showed how closely chip design now sits alongside supercomputing, quantum technology and the broader question of who controls Europe’s digital infrastructure.

Europe wants to design and build more of its own chips. Doing so means relying on places where the design skills, the research and the industrial customers already exist close together. Oulu is one of the few cities in northern Europe that fits that description, which is why its name keeps coming up in the wider EU debate.