Nordic Chip Summit 2025 – Powered by Kvanttinova

Arian Zwegers

European Comission, Deputy Head of Unit "Microelectronics and Photonics"

Mr. Zwegers is the Deputy Head of Unit “Microelectronics and Photonics” at the European Commission, Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology.

He received a Ph.D. from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands for his contribution to the system architecting field. After his Ph.D., he worked for the Philips Electronics’ Centre for Manufacturing Technology, Baan Development, and PlatteConsult. In the Commission, he worked on enterprise interoperability, service engineering, the Future Internet Public-Private Partnership, the Digitising European Industry initiative, and now in the microelectronics and photonics area.

Mr. Zwegers will offer the first keynote of the event with welcoming words from the EU's perspective: what does the future look like in the field of semiconductors, and how can Europe compete?

Paul de Bot

TSMC, President & General Manager EMEA

Mr. de Bot is President of TSMC Europe. He joined TSMC in 2015, and after roles in account management, was appointed General Manager EMEA in 2022 and President in 2024, responsible for the TSMC business in Europe and Israel.

He started his career at Philips in the area of video technology, reaching the position of Chief Strategy Officer of the digital TV systems division of Philips. In 2003 he joined Philips Semiconductors (which later became NXP Semiconductors) as Vice President Strategy & Business Development for their consumer, automotive and identification businesses, respectively. Prior to joining TSMC, Paul had further executive roles in the software industry and in corporate finance.

Bringing the viewpoints from the major semiconductor industry player, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Mr. de Bot will talk about Europe’s role in the semiconductor race.

Joonas Mikkilä

Technology Industries of Finland, Senior Advisor

Mr. Mikkilä is a seasoned public relations and governmental affairs professional dedicated to connecting technology, policy and politics at both the national and EU levels.

At Technology Industries of Finland, he focuses on technology policy, the data economy and digitalisation, working to strengthen the competitiveness of Finland’s tech sector. He also coordinates the organisation’s Semiconductor Branch Group and leads activities on critical digital technologies.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, Mr. Mikkilä will talk about the role of Finland in the semiconductor race.

Björn Ekelund

Ericsson, Ericsson Research Fellow

Mr. Ekelund has a career in communications and compute semiconductors that spans five decades. Starting as the lead architect and designer of the chipset in the world’s first handheld digital cellular phone in the late 80s, he has since participated in the development of all generations of cellular technology and is currently working on 6G. He has held executive roles in research, product development, marketing, strategy, and ecosystem development, and is currently scientifically responsible for semiconductor systems research in Ericsson.

Mr. Ekelund has numerous engagements besides Ericsson, such as being the chair of organizations like Big Science Sweden and OpenTech, Sweden’s largest cluster organization in Tech, and is also an advisor to government agencies and industry associations. He is an adjunct professor at Lund University and an elected fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Having followed and partly led the evolution of applications for semiconductors, Mr. Ekelund will share his perspectives on the future of semiconductor applications and how European industry can and must include semiconductors as part of their competitiveness toolbox.

Erja Turunen

VTT, Executive Vice President, Digital technologies

As a leader of the unit of Digital technologies, Dr. Turunen’s work involves strategic planning, customer relations, engaging stakeholders and representing VTT in different organizations. She is also a member of VTT’s executive committee. Her current responsibility area covers microelectronics, quantum, flexible electronics, sensing solutions, connectivity, space and cyber security.

Prior to the current role she has a long background at VTT in leading various research areas for transportation, energy, manufacturing, circular economy and material technology.

While researching her main subject, material engineering research, she worked in world-leading research groups in Germany and the United States. Erja has been at VTT for more than 25 years and having various management positions more than 15 years. She has been member for multiple national and European initiatives and networks. Currently she is active in BoD’s for Kvanttinova Oy, Tamlink Oy and Enter Espoo Oy.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, Dr. Turunen will introduce the Kvanttinova ecosystem.

Eric Fribourg-Blanc

Chips Joint Undertaking, Programme officer

Eric Fribourg-Blanc holds an Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Lille in 1997 and PhD from Université Hainaut-Cambrésis in 2003 with specialisation in semiconductor technologies and functional materials.

He has worked for 11 years with CEA-Leti in France. He has studied in Japan and has experience working in Japan and Vietnam for 5 years. From 2015 to 2018 he worked on various policy files at the European Commission, covering the strategy for electronics, IPCEI and state aid issues. Since 2019 he has been working as Programme Officer at the Chips Joint Undertaking and among other is overseeing the APECS pilot line under the Chips for Europe Initiative.

At Nordic Chip Summit, he will explain the purpose of the pilot lines and how do they support the competitive edge of Europe.

Jussi Rautee

Applied Materials & Picosun, Vice President, Applied Materials & Country President, Applied Materials Finland

Mr. Rautee represents Applied Materials and its business in Finland through Picosun Oy. Before joining Applied Materials, Jussi led Picosun as President and CEO from 2019, navigating the company through its merger and integration into Applied Materials. Jussi also brings extensive senior management experience from his 22-year tenure at ABB. At ABB, Jussi held various local and global senior management roles. His career has taken him to numerous countries including the UK, US, Australia, and Poland, providing him with a diverse international perspective.

Mr. Rautee will speak about the Finnish success story of ALD, and it's meaning in solving challenges in advanced nodes.

Mikko Loikkanen

Bosch-Sensortec Finland, Senior Manager

Dr. Mikko Loikkanen leads mixed-signal design and test R&D at Bosch Sensortec in Finland. With over two decades of industrial experience from world-leading IC design companies, he has a proven track record of successfully leading innovative R&D teams in both Finland and the United States. His current focus lies in the efficient execution of ASIC development for diverse MEMS sensor platforms.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025 he will present the story of Bosch Sensortec.

Panu Koppinen

Kyocera Technologies, Vice President of Timing Products and Technology

Dr. Panu Koppinen is Vice President of Timing Products and Technology at Kyocera Technologies. He leads the development and commercialization of MEMS resonator products for timing and frequency control markets, driving the transition of innovative technologies into commercial products.

As one of the first employees at the startup Tikitin Oy, which pioneered MEMS resonator technology later acquired by Kyocera, he contributed to the company’s journey of technical and business growth. The organization has since become an integral part of the global Kyocera Corporation.

He has over 20 years of experience in semiconductor technologies, quantum devices, and MEMS, and has held research positions at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Princeton University.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025 he will share more about the success story of Tikitin Oy and their journey as a part of Kyocera Corporation.

Markus Huuhtanen

Canatu, Director of Carbon Age program and Business Development

Mr. Huuhtanen leads the Carbon Age Veturi program and drives new business development at Canatu. He joined the Canatu team in September 2025, bringing over 10 years of experience in sensor technology, business development and strategy.

At Nordic Chip Summit, Markus will present the Canatu story and explore how carbon nanotubes can transform industries through the Carbon Age program.

Joonas Heikkinen

Dispelix, Cleanroom Operations Director (R&D)

Dr. Heikkinen supervises and developes the manufacturing activities within Dispelix. The R&D department is pioneering the AR technology from design concepts to functional prototypes. Dispelix develops and supplies transparent waveguides for consumer and enterprise AR devices. Dr. Heikkinen has been part of Dispelix's growth story for 7 years as the company celebrates a 10 year anniversary in 2025.

At Nordic Chip Summit, Joonas will present the Dispelix story, and how they are ready to lead AR display revolution.

Pekka Pursula

VTT, Director of Microelectronics and quantum technology research

Pekka Pursula is Director of Microelectronics and quantum technology research at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. In his current role his activities focus on directing and setting the research agenda at VTT, with active influencing in the national and European levels, such as the European ECS SRIA, where he acted as lead and co-lead for the Components, Modules and Systems Integration chapter for 2021-2023. He was lead in the European Quantum Flagship SRIA for chapter on Quantum Sensing and metrology in 2023.

Dr. Pursula oversees the Finnish quantum computer development program at VTT. He participates in national committee formulating the Finnish national strategy in quantum technologies and he is the chair of the steering committee of the Finnish quantum institute, InstituteQ. In addition, Dr. Pursula, has been co-author in several national agendas and roadmaps in Microelectronics and quantum technology.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025 he will facilitate and lead the panel discussion 'Success factors towards quantum industrialization'.

Priyamvada Bhaskar

Scalinq, Senior researcher

Priya Bhaskar is a senior researcher at Scalinq, based in Gothenburg. She tackles complex hardware integration challenges involving cryogenic peripherals and interconnects to enable scalable quantum computing.

She brings 10 years of research experience in experimental condensed matter and low-temperature physics. She holds a PhD in Physics from RWTH Aachen University and an M.S. in Nanophysics from KU Leuven and Chalmers University of Technology. Her experience stems from cutting edge research in topological superconductivity with technical expertise in cryogenics, advanced nanofabrication, and hardware development.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, she will participate in the panel discussion "Success factors towards quantum industrialization".

Joonas Govenius

Arctic Instruments, Co-founder & CEO

Mr. Govenius has fifteen years of research experience in the field of superconducting circuits, as well as experience in leadership roles. He currently serves as the CEO of Arctic Instruments, which is focused on building quantum-limited amplification solutions for large-scale quantum computers, and previously led a research team at VTT Technical Research Center of Finland.

He has worked on parametric amplifiers, superconducting qubits, superconducting radiation detectors, and 3D integration of superconducting circuits. He has a B.A. from Princeton University (USA), M.Sc. from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and D.Sc. from Aalto University (Finland).

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, he will participate in the panel discussion "Success factors towards quantum industrialization".

Pasi Kivinen

IQM Quantum Computers, Vice President Operations

Dr. Pasi Kivinen is currently leading the IQM Operations which is responsible of building, delivering, and calibrating the IQM Quantum computers to all its customers globally. Today IQM is the world-leading company in delivering the on-premises quantum computer systems.

Prior joining IQM he has worked over 15 years in various R&D roles in different companies developing micromechanical devices and applications such as micromirrors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, or oscillators. He holds Ph.D. in Physics from University of Jyväskylä and M.Sc in Economics from Hanken.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, he will participate in the panel discussion "Success factors towards quantum industrialization".

Valtteri Lahtinen

Quanscient, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder

Dr. Valtteri Lahtinen is the Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of Quanscient and the head of Quanscient Quantum Labs. He is an experienced and internationally recognized research leader with 15 years of experience in the intersection of computational physics, mathematics, and quantum technologies.

Before founding Quanscient, he conducted research at various institutions, including the University of Montreal, Boston University, Tampere University, and Aalto University.

At Quanscient, he is transforming engineering R&D by building a scalable and intelligent physics simulation platform leveraging cloud and quantum computing. At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, he will participate in the panel discussion "Success factors towards quantum industrialization".

Sami Repo

Nokia Networks, Mobile Networks SoC Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Repo's responsibility covers creating forward looking silicon technology strategy and landscape to support SoC product decisions in MN´s long term activities. As CTO he works as a link to the industry and looks to find disruptive technologies from research, suppliers, academia and start-ups as well as established stakeholders and evolution in the field. He helps Nokia to engage with government agencies.

Mr. Repo has more than 25 years of experience in the field of SoCs, from front-end design, back-end design as well as experience in leadership roles. Sami has strong system background from the telecommunication SoC and systems starting from 2G to continuing now on 6G and beyond. He has work history for example from Nokia Mobile Phones, Renesas Mobile, Broadcom, and Nokia Networks.

Before taking the role of MN SoC CTO, he led the MN SoC Architecture and Specification. He has a proven track record from SoC Program execution, Architecture & Specification work, and capability to create and drive long term technology vision. He has M.Sc. from University of Oulu (Finland).

At Nordic Chip Summit, he will share insights on the impact of 6G technologies & need for European semiconductor industry.

Mattias Thorsell

Saab, Technical Specialist

Dr. Thorsell joined Saab Surveillance in 2018 and serves as a Technical Specialist in the field of Microwave Electronics. He leads efforts to identify and evaluate the semiconductor technology needs for Saab's future sensor products.

Dr. Thorsell brings 19 years of experience in wide bandgap semiconductors for microwave applications. Prior to joining Saab, he held the position of senior researcher within the field of GaN technology at Chalmers University.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025 Dr. Thorsell will talk about microelectronics design needs in defence technologies together with Jerry Lemberg.

Jerry Lemberg

Saab, IC Technology Lead

Dr. Jerry Lemberg is the IC technology lead at Saab Finland, where he is leading initiatives to ramp up integrated circuit design activities for future sensor products.

He brings over fifteen years of experience in circuit design, covering mixed-mode, RF, and millimeter-wave circuits. Dr. Lemberg’s background spans both academia and industry, combining innovative ideas with hands-on product development expertise.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025 Dr. Lemberg will talk about microelectronics design needs in defence technologies together with Mattias Thorsell.

Marko Kosunen

Aalto University, Associate Professor

Marko Kosunen received D.Sc degree (with honors) from Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland, in 2006. He is currently a Associate Professor at Aalto University, Finland.

He has authored and co-authored more than hundred journal and conference papers and holds several patents. His current research interests include programmatic circuit design methodologies, digital intensive time-based data converters, and RISC-V microprocessor implementations for communication and sensing utilizing domain specific DSP accelerators.

At Nordic Chip Summit, he will talk about programmatic circuit design and improved productivity.

Olivier Thomas

CEA-LIST, Deputy Head of the Digital IC & System Design Division

Mr. Thomas is Deputy Head of the Digital IC & System Design Division at CEA-LIST, where he oversees partnership strategies and drives ecosystem growth. He brings extensive expertise in system/design-to-technology co-optimization and product engineering, with a focus on innovation in intelligent, energy-efficient, and trustworthy embedded systems.

Mr. Thomas is a central member of EuroCDP, strongly involved of the Design Enablement team definition, fabless SMEs selection process definition and EDA/IP vendor partnership negotiation.

He is the author or co-author of 25 patents and 77 publications. He received his Ph.D. in 2004 from the Doctoral School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Electronics in Paris.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, Mr. Thomas will introduce the European Chips Design Platform and the opportunities it will bring.

Piia Konstari

VTT, Director of Microfabrication services

Piia Konstari is Director of Microfabrication services at VTT. She is responsible for VTT’s pilot line services in microelectronics and quantum technologies and for successful commercialization of those.

Earlier she was a Lead in Microelectronics and quantum technology at VTT, responsible for business development and commercialization activities in those areas. She was the project manager for the public procurement process of VTT’s 300-qubit quantum computer and has been involved in Finland’s quantum computer developments. Earlier she has also been leading BusinessQ, the Finnish quantum industry ecosystem. Piia has a background in sales both from VTT as well as from Texas Instruments.

At Nordic Chip Summit 2025, she will be leading the warming up section of VTT's Tech Sauna.

Jan Andersson

NordAmps, Chief Executive Officer

Janne Lehtinen

SemiQon, Chief Science Officer

Masesh Kumar

HyCom Core, Chief Technology Officer

Tauno Vähä-Heikkilä

VTT, Vice President, Microelectronics and Quantum Technologies