Imec continues its pioneering role in the global chip industry thanks to multibillion-dollar injection
Leuven is home to the world's largest independent research centre for nano-electronics and digital technology: Imec. It will invest most of the 2.5 billion euros it recently raised in a third clean room.
Semiconductors, better known as chips, are the basic component of the most advanced products and technologies. Initially, they were mainly incorporated into computers and smartphones. Now they are used much more broadly. We find them in self-driving cars, all kinds of household appliances, new forms of connectivity like 5G or later 6G, in healthcare to develop new medicines, and so on.
In 2022, the European Union launched its new microchip strategy, which aims to increase its global market share to 20% by 2030 in order to be less dependent on competitors in Asia and the United States. Imec conducts innovative university research into new technologies and also works with the industry on concrete applications. With the injection of 2.5 billion euros, partly from the government and partly from the private sector, this global player will be able to innovate even faster, strengthen the chip ecosystem in Europe and provide more economic growth in Flanders and Europe. In particular, by building a third clean room, an area that is completely free from dust and vibration. This is a prerequisite for working with precision on a nanoscale.
Imec still has the wind in its sails.