SiPearl, the European semiconductor designer backed by the European Processor Initiative, has introduced its Athena1 processor targeted at dual-use applications in government, defense, and aerospace. Built as a tailored version of its HPC chip Rhea1, Athena1 emphasizes security, integrity, and sovereignty rather than peak AI performance. It will ship in configurations ranging from 16 to 80 Arm Neoverse V1 cores and omit the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in Rhea1, relying instead on DDR5 memory to better suit general-purpose and defense tasks.

Production is being handled by TSMC on a 7 nm-class N6 node, with initial packaging in Taiwan, though SiPearl plans to relocate packaging to Europe over time. Commercial availability is projected for the second half of 2027. Athena1 is pitched as a strategic asset for Europe’s technological independence in sensitive sectors.