Barcelona will host the most important semiconductor congress in the entire State in 2026
The city takes over from Chipnation, held from December 3 to 5 in Gran Canaria.
Barcelona is now officially the next host city for Chipnation, Spain’s most important semiconductor conference. The handover was formalized last Wednesday evening at an event held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where the third edition of the event is taking place. With the transfer, Barcelona becomes the fourth city to host the event since its creation in 2023 and begins the stage of preparations to position itself at the center of the state’s technology industry.
The moment of this relay brought together institutional representatives, members of the organization and managers of the Spanish Semiconductor Industry Association (AESEMI), which is the organizer of Chipnation. The delivery of this token marks the beginning of a year and a half full of work with the aim that the city can organize an edition that will aspire to surpass the previous ones, in relevance, and also in participation, and must consolidate Barcelona, under the umbrella of the transversal initiative Barcelona Innovation Coast, as a global reference in science, innovation and technology.
The city has been selected, from several candidates, by competitive competition, valuing its organizational capacity, the scientific infrastructure that it includes and the growth and internationalization of its innovation system. For the event, already set for next year, it will have the support and collaboration of ACCIÓ (the agency for the competitiveness of the enterprise of the Department of Enterprise and Work of the Generalitat de Catalunya) and also of the Barcelona City Council.
About Chipnation
The organization of this annual congress is led by the Spanish Semiconductor Industry Association (AESEMI), an entity created in 2021 by the companies Wiyo (Yocto Technologies), Imasenic, Kdpof and ICMálaga, which brings together the main players in the semiconductor industry in Spain.
Since 2023, three editions have been held: the first in Getafe, the second in Valencia, and the current one in Gran Canaria, which has had the participation of more than 400 experts and professionals from all over the state.
A sector clearly on the rise
The highlight of this congress in Barcelona represents a boost to the city’s strategic positioning in this field that evolves in parallel with the continent’s objective of achieving technological sovereignty in the field of semiconductors, small pieces of microelectronics that are essential for multiple industrial fields. According to data from the report Semiconductors in Catalonia, prepared by ACCIÓ, there are currently 260 agents that are part of this system in the country between companies, technology centers, entities and research institutes. A framework that includes 4.600 workers and that generates business figures of 302 million euros. A large part of this entire ecosystem is integrated into the Semiconductors and Chips Alliance of Catalonia, which is led by the Department of Business and Employment through ACCIÓ.
The fourth edition of Chipnation will coincide next year with the presidency that Catalonia will hold throughout 2026 of the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance (ESRA).