The funding will support a NanoIC pilot line hosted at imec’s facility in Leuven, Belgium
Research labs in Europe will receive 2.5 billion euros ($2.72 billion) in funding under the European Chips Act, announced in 2023. The funding, according to Belgium’s nanoelectronics R&D hub imec, is meant to support a pilot line designed to develop and test advanced semiconductors.
The funding will support a NanoIC pilot line hosted at imec’s facility in Leuven, Belgium that will produce sub-2 nanometer System-on-Chip, which is expected to support various industries including telecommunications, healthcare and automotive. “The investment will allow us to double volumes and learning speed, accelerating our innovation pace, strengthening the European chip ecosystem, and driving economic growth in Europe,” commented imec CEO Luc Van den Hove in a statement.
The project will allow universities, start-ups and enterprises to more easily design and test advanced technology components, said imec. “The European semiconductor industry must address key challenges, such as bridging the gap from innovation to product development, fostering collaboration, and supporting technology innovation, economic growth, and strategic autonomy,” the organization states on its website. “These goals can only be met when there’s low-barrier access to state-of-the-art equipment, and opportunities for advanced research and development of new materials, process steps and modules.”
Research labs CEA-Leti of France, Fraunhofer of Germany, VTT of Finland, CSSNT of Romania and the Tyndall Institute of Ireland are also participating in the project.
Last year, Europe’s semiconductor supply chain got a $23.6 billion boost, comprised of both public and private funding. The semiconductor and communication technologies project was given access to nearly $8.6 billion in state funds, as well as $14.7 billion in additional private investment bringing the total investment in in the European semiconductor supply chain to around $23.6 billion.
