WARSAW, Poland — In the face of a global technological race and the growing instability of supply chains, Poland is taking a strategic step towards complete hardware independence. As part of a joint initiative comprising Polski Krzem, Instytut Łączności – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (National Institute of Telecommunications), and Phoenix Systems, a fully Polish microcontroller will be created. It will be integrated with the proprietary Phoenix-RTOS operating system. Such synergy between the newly developed hardware and the base software will create a sovereign foundation for advanced unmanned systems (drones), securing national defense and critical infrastructure.
The modern battlefield, border protection, as well as critical infrastructure monitoring rely today on small, intelligent unmanned systems (UAVs). However, the European defense sector is facing a fundamental problem: the heart of these critical machines consists of microcontrollers and processors designed and manufactured predominantly outside of Europe, often operating under the control of closed, foreign software. The lack of full control over the hardware layer and software is an open door for cyberattacks, hidden vulnerabilities (so-called backdoors), and the risk of technological paralysis in the event of global trade blockades.
Synergy of competencies: Polish hardware, Polish software
The answer to this structural security gap is a precise division of roles within the new strategic partnership. Polski Krzem, bringing together the highest domestic competencies in semiconductor design, will prepare the chip and is responsible for creating the physical architecture of the modern microcontroller (hardware).
Phoenix Systems’ task in this ecosystem is to provide the „nervous system” for the new electronics – an independent real-time operating system (Phoenix-RTOS). The Polish company does not design the integrated circuit itself but is responsible for its usage, deep optimization, and integration of its base software directly with the silicon layer. By utilizing a microkernel architecture, the operating system will allow for the secure, software-based separation of critical drone applications (e.g., separating the flight control module from the communication stack), guaranteeing the machine’s full stability in combat and operational conditions.
The role of National Institute of Telecommunications is to develop the security and system resilience requirements of the integrated platform, as well as the rules for incorporating them at the design and execution stages, and to prepare the solution for future European regulatory and certification requirements.
Real benefits and the path to intelligent drones
From a business and strategic point of view, using the proven and Europe-recognized (IPCEI-CIS) Phoenix-RTOS operating system on a Polish microcontroller brings tangible benefits to the market. It means a real optimization of energy consumption (crucial for UAV flight duration), a reduction in the risk of failure, and full control over the hardware architecture and source code. It is an absolute fulfillment of the most stringent „local content” requirements, without which winning multi-billion tenders in the modern defense sector becomes impossible today.
The newly designed chips with the software provided by the Polish deep-tech company Phoenix Systems also pave the way for the miniaturization of flying platforms, enabling the creation and secure management of entire swarms of autonomous, intelligent drones (drone swarms).
„Designing our own integrated circuits integrated with a European operating system is no longer a matter of technological ambition in today’s geopolitical realities, but an absolute requirement of national security,” comments Paweł Pisarczyk, CEO of Phoenix Systems. „Cooperation with Polski Krzem allows us to close the entire technological ecosystem at the level of our country. We are creating a foundation that will make the defense sector independent from foreign suppliers. The microcontroller, and the Phoenix-RTOS operating system running on it, will provide drone manufacturers with a platform that enables drone miniaturization and the creation of an intelligent drone swarm, completely resistant to external interference. This is a technology that defines true digital state sovereignty.”
The step taken by the Polish companies aligns with a broader, pan-European trend (supported, among others, by the European Chips Act), aimed at rebuilding microelectronic competencies and making strategic branches of European industry independent from imports from Asian and American markets.
Phoenix Systems
Phoenix Systems (part of the Atende capital group) is a dynamically growing deep-tech company and the creator of Phoenix-RTOS, a proprietary, open-source real-time operating system based on a microkernel architecture, along with high-performance communication stacks for Edge-IoT devices. The company focuses its operations on the rapidly growing Smart Grid, Defense, and New Space markets, delivering solutions that already power millions of smart devices and ensure the sovereign, secure, and reliable flow of data within European critical infrastructure.
The Institute of Telecommunications (Instytut Łączności)
The Institute of Telecommunications – National Research Institute is an independent, national research and development unit operating in the field of telecommunications and IT (category B+ in the discipline of Technical IT and Telecommunications). It supports public administration and the market, conducts research, certification, and implementation activities, and also participates in the European Research Area. It employs over 300 researchers and experts. It operates in Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Wrocław.
Polski Krzem
Polski Krzem PSA is a Polish deep-tech company developing sovereign system-on-chip integrated circuits designed for defense, critical infrastructure, and secure edge devices. The company designs a modular platform based on the open RISC-V architecture, integrating processors, AI computing accelerators, cybersecurity and cryptography mechanisms, as well as communication interfaces. Polski Krzem’s goal is to create semiconductor technology controlled in Europe, covering not only the chip design but also software, development tools, and an environment enabling the construction of independent, secure, and energy-efficient electronic systems.