The historic Belgian city of Leuven is known for its centuries-old university and as the headquarters of brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev NV. Less so as the location of a semiconductor research organization that is now the center of both political and industry attention.
The Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC) may be Belgium¡¯s best-kept secret, but it¡¯s in global demand for its work on the future of computer chips, with applications in areas from genome sequencing to autonomous driving.
It¡¯s also increasingly in the sights of governments as chips become political weapons in the U.S.-China tech conflict. Crippling industry shortages during the pandemic have meanwhile set off a scramble for access to advanced research as the U.S., China, Japan and Europe all seek greater self-reliance in semiconductor production.
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