Enabling the European Supply Chain

The semiconductor industry has long operated within the realm of a fully global economy. This vision has led to major investments and cost rationalization on a global scale. This was made possible thanks to the technology segmentation, starting from design flow all the way up to  packaging and test, via silicon manufacturing in specialized infrastructure and location. This pre-AI model, which is very consumer-centric, has prevailed for the last three decades. However, the emergence of the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and access to energy, has made it increasingly evident that the risks and stakes are too high when it comes to supply chains and sovereignty.   

Furthermore, relentless innovation calls for a new type of complex products. New applications in AI and specialized sensing will demand a far more complex technology setting, where specialty technologies become as important as ASICs, where heterogenous integration is a must, and where low-volume manufacturing is as essential as a path to large-scale production. This is not how the industry looks like today, and it presents a significant opportunity for Europe.  

At imec, we believe that it is equally important to bridge the gap between academia and industry in terms of technology maturity but also in terms of access to all the necessary technologies and services to support future product design and manufacturing in a European context.  

Europe has historically proven to be a stronghold for industry and high-end equipment, but is that enough? What does it take to enable a fully integrated European supply chain? 

Please join us to gain insight into how technology can enable the European supply chain!