ctg. morning brief, 28 Oct 2026
On 28 Oct 2026, Infineon will build the world's first high-volume fab for gallium nitride power chips on 300mm wafers, in Villach, Austria (27 Oct). It is investing around €1.1bn in existing cleanrooms by 2034, production starts by the end of 2027, and the Commission approved €319m of Chips Act state aid for it.
Why it matters: GaN switches power with less loss and heat, which is exactly what AI data centres, grids and robots are short on. A 300mm wafer yields 2.3 times as many chips as a 200mm one, so this is a cost story, not a lab story. Austria's chancellor called it one of the largest single investments in the country's high-tech history. Two days before Council works on Chips Act 2.0, here is what the first Chips Act looks like when it lands: a European first, in an existing building, with a date. Edition candidate: fold into 013.
Source: https://www.infineon.com/press-release/2026/infpr202610-021
Danish radar maker Weibel Scientific won an €84m order from Polish PIT-RADWAR to supply XENTA-M5 radars for SAN, Poland's national counter-drone programme (27 Oct). Weibel says it is the largest order in its history.
Why it matters: SAN ties sensors, command and control and effectors into one counter-drone layer on the eastern flank. Cheap interceptors get the headlines, but nothing gets shot down that nobody saw first. Weibel says the order puts new demands on its production and delivery, after more than 6,000 radars shipped to 45+ countries. It is also its second Polish deal this autumn. The drone wall is becoming purchase orders.
Source: https://defence-industry.eu/weibel-to-supply-xenta-m5-radars-for-polands-san-integrated-counter-drone-programme/
Machenta, an Imperial College London spinout, came out of stealth with a $40m (about €36m) seed round co-led by Creandum and Union Square Ventures (27 Oct). Its model is trained only in simulation and lets a robot do a new task, like packing or assembly, after seeing it once.
Why it matters: Tech.eu says it is the largest seed round ever raised by a UK robotics company, for a team of around a dozen people. Founded by robot learning professor Edward Johns and his PhD student Vitalis Vosylius after six years of research. Teaching robots is the expensive part of automation. If one demo is enough, the factory floor changes. Big claim, now it has the money to prove it.
Source: https://tech.eu/2026/10/27/london-robotics-startup-machenta-raises-40m-seed-investment/
Navantia launched the Spanish Navy's second F110 frigate, Roger de Lauria (F112), in Ferrol on 27 Oct, four months ahead of schedule. Four of the five ships are now in work: F113 has five blocks on the slipway and F114 has started at the new Digital Block Factory.
Why it matters: Early is rare in shipbuilding, and it is the metric that matters now that order books are full. Spanish suppliers hold 65% of the programme content, around 500 companies and about 9,000 jobs. Delivery is still 2029, and the first ship, Bonifaz, starts sea trials in 2027. The rate is the story.
Source: https://defence-industry.eu/navantia-launches-spanish-navys-second-f110-frigate-four-months-ahead-of-schedule/
The EU AI gigafactory call is open to partners from outside the Union, including the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, India, Canada and the UAE, per Economía Digital (27 Oct). The sites must still be in the EU, and EuroHPC has moved the medium-scale deadline (Lot 1) to 4 Feb 2027. Large-scale bids (Lot 2) are still due 3 Dec 2026.
Why it matters: Up to seven gigafactories, up to €10bn of public money and at least €20bn of private money wanted. Brussels is admitting the money and chips will partly come from outside Europe, with security carve-outs. The Lot 1 delay gives capitals time for national budgets, which is useful for a CEE bid out of Prague. Big bids still face 3 Dec.
Source: https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/call-tenders-selection-artificial-intelligence-gigafactory-consortia-and-establishment-ai_en