Crucial Role for imec in EU Chips Act

At its technology forum ITF World 2024, imec announces it will host the NanoIC pilot line. This pilot line taps into the EU Chips Act vision to accelerate innovation, drive economic growth, and strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem.

With its R&D pilot line, imec aims to establish a leading technology platform where European and international companies can explore new technologies before they are introduced into large-scale production.

Targeting the development of beyond 2nm Systems-on-Chip, the NanoIC pilot line will support a diversity of industries in Europe, including automotive, telecommunications, health, and more, to develop future-proof products that leverage the latest chip innovations.

It will be constructed as an extension of the already existing imec pilot line facilities, built up over the previous decades.  The expected investment of €2.5 billion will be brought together through a combination of public and private contributions.

The EU Chips Act deploys few pilot lines to address some key challenges facing Europe’s semiconductor industry, such as bridging the gap from innovation to product or fostering collaboration, and to support technology innovation, economic growth, and strategic autonomy. Imec will host the beyond 2nm SoC R&D pilot line and participate in the pilot lines on low power FD-SOI and on heterogeneous system integration.

In line with the Chips Act vision, imec and its partners in the NanoIC pilot line CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, VTT, CSSNT and Tyndall Institute will collaborate with European and global equipment and material suppliers to set up a one-of-a-kind beyond 2nm SoC R&D pilot line. This will enable the European supplier ecosystem to enhance its competitiveness while boosting the global chip value chain.

Additionally, the NanoIC pilot line will play a crucial ‘translator’ role between breakthrough semiconductor innovation and the European industry, enabling companies to explore the most advanced chip technology solutions for their future applications.
This is particularly significant for OEMs in sectors like health and automotive, where the demand for advanced semiconductor solutions is rapidly increasing.

“The support from EU, the Flemish government and industry partners will enable us to not only retain our leadership position, but also pivot closer to market demands. 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,” says Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec.