Spain has declared that it will be investing a large sum of money amounting to 750 million euros to assist the production of lab-grown diamonds to be used in semiconductors at the new plant of Diamond Foundry in Trujillo, hence making the region the leading hub of high-tech diamond manufacturing in Europe. The offer of support is the total of €80 million in first money which was provided by the European Union in December, therefore, a great deal of public money is directed towards a materials-technics project which is one of the most ambitious in Europe.
Europe’s Largest Source of Industrial Diamonds
When the Trujillo factory is up and running, it is estimated that it will be the largest source of industrial and semiconductor-grade diamonds in the whole of Europe, hence, the lab-grown diamond sector will launch its strategic move to the area. Just as synthetic diamonds were easily embedded in the jewellery markets, now the technology becomes a critical industrial resource for computing and energy sectors.
Expected Output of Over Four Million Carats
As the facility comes on stream, it is estimated that over four million carats will be produced yearly—the operational period is projected to be between 2027 and 2029—and they intend to output will increase a lot as the need for advanced materials grows.
Diamond Foundry’s Shift from Jewellery to High-Tech
The story of Diamond Foundry, which was set up in the USA in 2012 by Martin Roscheisen and Jeremy Scholz, both engineers, and has spread very fast from the consumer market of lab-grown diamonds to the technological applications which are of high-performance, is very interesting. The change to one side started publication in 2018 by a company recognizing the vast potential of diamond materials in semiconductors, photonics, and thermal management systems.
Why Diamonds Outperform Silicon
Besides silicon, lab-grown diamonds have those capabilities which not even conventional silicon can perform, and such are:
- Exceptional thermal conductivity for efficient heat dissipation
- Wide-bandgap traits enabling electronics to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures
- Greater durability and reliability for next-generation devices
Thus diamonds become the perfect materials for technologies such as electric vehicles, quantum computing, 5G and 6G communications, and advanced power electronics.
€2.35bn Total Investment Backing the Project
A total of public and private investments of €2.35 billion stand behind the Trujillo project. The project aims at the global supply chain of semiconductors and the character of the initiative carries the signature of the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), which is a clear indication of Spain’s ambitious plan to not only maintain but also consolidate its position.
Aligned with the European Chips Act
The move also conforms with the broader chip-manufacturing programme of the EU, which includes the European Chips Act that has a double goal: to increase autonomy in semiconductor technologies and materials and to reduce dependency on imports. As a result, high-performance diamonds are very likely to become the core of next-generation chips, thus the Trujillo project will be of strategic importance if Europe wants to stay technologically sovereign.
Boost to Extremadura’s Industrial Landscape
The plant will be a major high-tech industrial cluster in Extremadura, a region which, in the past, was less industrialized. Apart from creating new jobs, the facility is expected to lure specialised suppliers, research institutions, and downstream semiconductor manufacturers, thus placing Spain at the centre of Europe’s advanced materials ecosystem.
A Turning Point for the Lab-Grown Diamond Industry
This particular investment is a landmark for the lab-grown diamond industry, clearly showing that the transition is completed: industrial and semiconductor applications now stand for a rapidly increasing portion of the market that is going to surpass the use of the diamond industry for technological and commercial purposes in the first place.
Spain Bets on the Next Wave of Innovation
As Europe speeds up her next-generation semiconductor technologies, Spain, by generously underwriting the Diamond Foundry project, is evidently betting that lab-grown diamonds will be the key materials for the next technological innovation wave.
