New €100 Million Foundry in Twente to Scale Global Photonic Chip Production
Enschede, Saturday 14 February 2026
Addressing a critical global manufacturing gap, this facility enables companies to scale silicon nitride chip production locally, preventing a forced exodus of European tech innovation to Asia.
Filling the Manufacturing Void
Construction of the New Origin foundry officially commenced yesterday, 13 February 2026, marking a pivotal expansion for the semiconductor industry at Kennispark Twente [1]. Backed by a projected investment of €100 million, this independent facility is designed to solve a persistent bottleneck in the global photonics market: the lack of large-scale manufacturing capacity for silicon nitride chips [1]. While the University of Twente’s MESA+ Institute has successfully incubated photonic innovations for over three decades, the region has historically lacked the industrial infrastructure to mass-produce these technologies [1][2]. New Origin bridges this gap as a ‘pure-play foundry’, a dedicated manufacturing partner that produces chips for external design companies rather than developing its own commercial products [1].
Strengthening European Sovereignty
This development is a strategic asset for the European Union’s pursuit of technological sovereignty, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains [1]. For European ‘ChipTech’ companies, the inability to scale from prototype to volume production locally has often necessitated a shift to manufacturers in Asia [2]. Tim Tiek, CEO of Brilliance—an Enschede-based firm creating miniature lasers for augmented reality glasses—stated that without New Origin, his company might have been forced to move production to Asia to meet the demands of tech giants like Meta, Google, and Sony [1][2]. By establishing this capacity in the Netherlands, the facility ensures that high-value semiconductor manufacturing and intellectual property remain within the European ecosystem [2].
Technical Roadmap and Investment Structure
The foundry is scheduled to have its first machines operational by the end of 2026, with the facility fully opening in 2027 [1]. Twan Korthorst, CEO of New Origin, notes that currently, no facility globally is adequately equipped to handle thousands of wafers for this specific technology [2]. To address this, production will initially focus on 100 mm and 150 mm wafers, with a clear roadmap to scale up to 200 mm wafers [1]. The operational plan projects that production capacity will double or triple within the first five years, providing a scalable pathway for startups to grow without the prohibitive capital expenditure of building private factories [1][2].