Jan. 22, 2026 –
By Pat Brans, EE Times
Italy is rarely mentioned in Europe’s semiconductor sovereignty debate. When policymakers talk about strategic autonomy, they point to flagship fabs in France, Germany, or the Netherlands, or to headline investments backed by the EU Chips Act. Yet Italy sits at the center of several of Europe’s most exposed automotive and power electronics supply chains—often without a clear picture of where its dependencies really lie.
That opacity matters. As export controls tighten, Chinese technology advances rapidly in electric vehicles (EVs) and power electronics, and geopolitical risk becomes harder to ignore, Italy’s strengths—and vulnerabilities—offer a revealing case study of how Europe may still be blind to its real exposure.