It’s been well established that Belgium is a key player in technology, something our country has proven again with the next big thing to happen in the industry.
We’re talking about chips, and not the edible kind! Oudenaarde (in the province of East Flanders) will be the site of what is to become “Europe's first fully-fledged production and service centre for integrated photonics.”
A company invested over €200 million in the site of a previous chip producer and is taking production in a different direction. As previously mentioned, the chips made by this new company will be photonic (they will use light particles). The previous company’s chips were transporting and processing information with electrons. This new method should make the chips faster and more energy efficient.
The facility has around 10,000 square metres of clean rooms and will also host research and development activities, with Ghent University and Imec being closely involved. What better way to underline Belgium’s extensive expertise in chips than to host Europe’s first photonic chip production facility?
