The European Union has launched its largest semiconductor pilot line under the European Chips Act, investing €700 million ($832 million) in the new NanoIC facility at IMEC in Leuven, Belgium, as part of efforts to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty.
The project forms part of a wider investment of about €2.5 billion, with additional funding coming from national and regional governments. The facility is designed to speed up the development of advanced chip technologies used in artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, healthcare and future 6G networks.
NanoIC is the first European site to deploy one of the most advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography systems and will focus on semiconductor technologies beyond the 2-nanometre node, marking a significant step for the bloc’s manufacturing capabilities.
The pilot line will operate on an open-access model, allowing start-ups, researchers, small and medium-sized enterprises and major companies to test new chip designs and production processes at near-industrial scale before mass manufacturing.
The project is hosted by Belgium-based research centre IMEC, founded in 1984, which describes itself as the world’s largest independent research and innovation hub for nanoelectronics and digital technology. Partners include CEA-Leti in France, Fraunhofer in Germany, VTT in Finland, CSSNT in Romania and the Tyndall National Institute in Ireland.
The initiative aims to close the gap between research and large-scale production while strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness and retaining skilled talent.
NanoIC is one of five pilot lines under the Chips for Europe programme, alongside FAMES, APECS, WBG and PIXEurope.
Together, the projects represent a combined European and national investment of about €3.7 billion to connect research capabilities with commercial manufacturing.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions wi...
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s...
Türkiye says talks with Washington are continuing over six F-35 fighter jets it purchased but never received, as Ankara pushes for the lifting...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Satellite restrictions affecting Ukraine's military have put SpaceX's Starshield network under scrutiny, raising questions about who controls the technology and who can restrict its use during wartime.
More than three centuries after the dodo disappeared from Mauritius, efforts to bring the iconic bird back from extinction are taking a new step forward.
Hackers forced the temperature of fridges and freezers in hundreds of French supermarkets up to 50 degrees Celsius overnight, causing fires and food losses in what the Paris Prosecutor’s Office described as a “large-scale” attack.
A software engineer employed by OpenAI has been arrested and charged by U.S. authorities after investigators alleged he secretly placed a concealed recording device inside an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company.
NASA's Perseverance rover has set a new driving record on Mars, travelling 45.2 kilometres since landing in 2021 and surpassing every other robotic vehicle to explore a world beyond Earth, the U.S. space agency said on Tuesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment