Research firm Imec calls on European chip industry to boost R&D
CEO Luc Van den Hove calls on industry to focus on its strengths rather than trying to create a cutting-edge manufacturer
21 May 2024 - 15:39
by Toby Sterling
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Antwerp — The European chip industry should focus on bolstering its strengths as a research centre and crucial chipmaking equipment producer rather than trying to create a cutting-edge chip manufacturer, the CEO of semiconductor research firm Imec said.
“You can’t make an advanced chip without European technology,” Luc van den Hove told reporters at the ITF World conference on Tuesday.
He noted that the world’s biggest equipment maker, ASML, depended on German optics and Imec research. Europe also houses smaller but crucial equipment companies, such as ASM International.
Future chips
Earlier on Tuesday Belgium-based Imec announced that it would host a €2.5bn pilot line for researching future generations of chips that are more advanced than the two nanometre, which is just entering production.
But Van den Hove said that should not be seen as a prelude to any domestic European chip company or start-up building its own two-nanometre or better commercial plant such as Japanese firm Rapidus was attempting with government support.
“Whether we should build our own sub-two-nanometre foundry, I have my doubts whether that makes sense, to say it mildly,” he said.
Rather, Europe should continue to woo construction of such plants from the global big three logic chip manufacturers, TSMC, Intel and Samsung.
Only Intel has plans to build a major plant on European soil manufacturing better than two-nanometre chips, in Magdeburg, Germany, though TSMC has plans for a less than 22-nanometre plant in Dresden — a “legacy node” or slightly older generation of technology in industry terms.
Van den Hove said that Europe needed those too.
“We have to make sure that we avoid a shortage of legacy nodes, because in China, there’s a lot of capacity being built up on legacy nodes”, which was a potential geopolitical risk, he said.
Europe also had strong legacy node chipmakers of its own, he said, naming NXP, Infineon, Bosch and STMicroelectronics as “all leaders in their specific segment”.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Research firm Imec calls on European chip industry to boost R&D
CEO Luc Van den Hove calls on industry to focus on its strengths rather than trying to create a cutting-edge manufacturer
Antwerp — The European chip industry should focus on bolstering its strengths as a research centre and crucial chipmaking equipment producer rather than trying to create a cutting-edge chip manufacturer, the CEO of semiconductor research firm Imec said.
“You can’t make an advanced chip without European technology,” Luc van den Hove told reporters at the ITF World conference on Tuesday.
He noted that the world’s biggest equipment maker, ASML, depended on German optics and Imec research. Europe also houses smaller but crucial equipment companies, such as ASM International.
Future chips
Earlier on Tuesday Belgium-based Imec announced that it would host a €2.5bn pilot line for researching future generations of chips that are more advanced than the two nanometre, which is just entering production.
But Van den Hove said that should not be seen as a prelude to any domestic European chip company or start-up building its own two-nanometre or better commercial plant such as Japanese firm Rapidus was attempting with government support.
“Whether we should build our own sub-two-nanometre foundry, I have my doubts whether that makes sense, to say it mildly,” he said.
Rather, Europe should continue to woo construction of such plants from the global big three logic chip manufacturers, TSMC, Intel and Samsung.
Only Intel has plans to build a major plant on European soil manufacturing better than two-nanometre chips, in Magdeburg, Germany, though TSMC has plans for a less than 22-nanometre plant in Dresden — a “legacy node” or slightly older generation of technology in industry terms.
Van den Hove said that Europe needed those too.
“We have to make sure that we avoid a shortage of legacy nodes, because in China, there’s a lot of capacity being built up on legacy nodes”, which was a potential geopolitical risk, he said.
Europe also had strong legacy node chipmakers of its own, he said, naming NXP, Infineon, Bosch and STMicroelectronics as “all leaders in their specific segment”.
Reuters
India’s Zoho plans foray into chipmaking
Biden to announce $6bn preliminary deal with chipmaker Micron
TSMC to keep riding the wave of demand for chips
Intel shares fall on news of operational loss
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Spy agency says Chinese hackers are targeting Dutch hi-tech industries
Netherlands expected to yield to US pressure over chip machines sold to China
Dutch PM to meet China’s Xi as chip export policy strains ties
Record chip orders for ASML but outlook for 2024 remains same
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.