Speech by Dutch Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius at PIX Photonic Chip Pilot Line

Speech | 09-03-2026

Ladies and gentlemen,

Imagine a military unit operating in an environment where radio signals are being jammed. Traditional communications would fail.
But secure optical communications, enabled by photonic chips, keep the information flowing.
Decisions can still be made. People remain connected. Missions can continue.

This is not science fiction. It is the reality of modern conflict.

Ukraine shows us how warfare is becoming faster, more precise and more technologically advanced.
Advanced systems influence the battlefield as much as traditional weapons.

Signals are jammed. Satellites are disrupted. Navigation systems fail.

If communication stops, coordination ends.
If navigation fails, units become more vulnerable.

Technology determines who can act. And who cannot.

Security today is not just about territory, weapons and ammunition.
It is also about data, communications, energy, navigation and resilience.

That is why today is such an important day.

Today, we are marking the start of the construction of the Dutch Photonic Chip Pilot Line.

It is a technological milestone…yes. But also a strategic one.

Security is not only built through ships, aircraft and soldiers.
It is also built here. In labs. In cleanrooms.
In places where light travels across a chip the size of a fingernail.

Although the technologies developed here are small in size, their impact can be significant.

Photonic chips, using light instead of electricity, are a strategic technology for the future.
They enable systems that are faster, more efficient and more difficult to disrupt…
…which is becoming increasingly important in modern conflict.

This pilot line turns those innovations into real-world solutions.
It turns promising ideas into facilities that can actually be used.

This is why the Ministry of Defence is co-investing in this project together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The presence of Executive Vice President Virkkunen today shows also our European commitment.

We have allocated € 1.1 billion for innovation and scaling up our defence industrial base, as part of our Defence Strategy for Industry and Innovation.

As set out in our coalition agreement, we are investing in Dutch technological strengths and reducing strategic dependence.
Because today’s investments decide on our readiness tomorrow. .

We do not invest in technology for its own sake.
We invest in technology because our security depends on it.
In today’s world, security requires resilience.

Resilience demands three things:

a strong military, a resilient society, and a robust, innovative economy.

This project strengthens the economy directly.
It will also strengthen our armed forces very soon.

When our armed forces operate in complex environments, they rely on what you are developing here.

You are not working at the margins of security.
You are at its heart.

Our soldiers, sailors and pilots rely on communications that are difficult to intercept. They rely on sensors that function in extreme conditions.
They rely on systems that keep working when others fail.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Security is teamwork.

It is the soldier in the field.
It is the scientist in the lab.
It is the technician in the cleanroom.
It is also the policymaker who ensures long-term investment.

We invest in innovation because our security depends on it.
This is not an abstraction.

It means that our country can remain free, stable and prepared, even in uncertain times.

So, I would like to thank everyone who contributes to this effort.
Each of you strengthens our collective resilience.

Today, we are doing more than just starting construction.
We are taking an important step towards strengthening our technological foundations here in the Netherlands and across Europe.

We are reducing vulnerability.
We are developing facilities that will be crucial in situations we cannot yet anticipate.

Security is not a spectator sport.
It is something we build together.
As a team.

Thank you.