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.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington next week as tensions continue to rise across the Mid...
Brazil has denied visa requests for two Trump administration officials who planned to travel to the country to cast doubt on the integrity of its elec...
A journey into one of the darkest chapters of the Baltic states' history. ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
The U.S. military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks. The latest operation lasted more than two hours, according to U.S. Central Command.
Spain has declared a national emergency and evacuated more than 10,000 people after uncontrolled wildfires reached the outskirts of Madrid. Emergency crews have rescued residents as multiple blazes continue to spread across the region.
Six candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary-General have called for restoring the organisation's credibility, strengthening multilateralism and reforming the UN, during the first public town hall debate ahead of a decisive Security Council vote next week.
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship megarocket on its 13th flight test Friday, deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites and completing a soft splashdown of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean.
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, making it the first time the role has held cabinet-level status. The move signals a stronger government focus on AI as the UK seeks to strengthen its position in the sector.
Scientists have identified a planetary system in the Milky Way unlike anything seen before, leaving astronomers debating how to classify one of its unusual worlds. The discovery challenges long-held definitions of planets, moons and stars.
A U.S. federal judge has approved Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement with authors and publishers over the company's acquisition and use of pirated books to train its Claude artificial intelligence chatbot, marking the first major resolution in the growing wave of AI copyright litigation.
More than 1,100 companies are presenting their latest artificial intelligence technologies at the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where innovation, international cooperation and AI governance are taking centre stage.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment