Whether we call it a “chip,” a “microchip,” or a “semiconductor,” we are talking about the same thing. Semiconductor components lie at the heart of every piece of electronics, and it is hard to imagine the modern world without them. The shortage in their production that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the EU to set a new goal: by 2030, to secure 20% of the world’s microchip output. Could this also be an opportunity for the Bulgarian economy?

“The boom in investments in chip manufacturing and development is only just beginning, and niche opportunities for Bulgaria are real,” state the experts from the Professional Association for Robotics and Automation. A case in point is the company Arfid Bulgaria, which has been active since 2007 in the field of contactless technologies – payments and cards, automation, identification, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart sensing technologies.

Today, the company operates two research and development centers as well as four production facilities. In 2020, Arfid Bulgaria signed an agreement with BDB Leasing for the purchase of manufacturing equipment. The investment came at a time when demand for contactless technologies was soaring due to the pandemic, while supply options were constrained by global delivery issues.

This gave the company the chance to expand its operations not only in Bulgaria, but also in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.