# German and Dutch agencies launch €40 million AI chip design challenge

_Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 5:07 AM EDT · Infrastructure, AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![German and Dutch agencies launch €40 million AI chip design challenge — Primary](https://www.eu-startups.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-2026-09-23T125638.497.jpg)

Germany's SPRIND and the Netherlands' NADI have launched a joint €40 million challenge to fund European AI chip design. The agencies plan to select seven teams for an initial stage, awarding each €2.6 million, then advance three teams to a second stage worth €7 million each.

The 20-month programme will support AI-driven design methods aimed at producing chips for AI training and inference. Participating teams will also receive technical and commercial coaching. The agencies aim to shorten development timelines from years to weeks, but the designs have yet to be produced and further financing details remain unconfirmed.

## Sources

- [EU-Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/09/germanys-sprind-and-the-netherlands-nadi-launch-e40-million-challenge-to-fast-track-european-ai-chip-design/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/dd0K_XvImMVrJq3eNY4Ie7
Published: 2026-09-23T09:07:34.960Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-23T07:20:28.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-23T10:29:52.914Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)