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A growing team, active participation in a major European project, and a firm ambition to help the automotive industry transition to chiplet-based architectures underscore imec’s commitment to strengthening Baden-Württemberg’s innovation ecosystem while fueling international impact
• Imec CEO Luc Van den hove, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann, and Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut have officially inaugurated imec’s new office at the IPAI campus in Heilbronn.
• The Heilbronn hub is dedicated to driving the transition toward chiplet-based architectures in the automotive industry in close partnership with German industry and research partners. It illustrates how local impact and international relevance go hand in hand.
• Coinciding with the inauguration, the IPAI campus is also hosting this week’s Automotive Chiplet Forum bringing together over 100 delegates from dozens of companies across the automotive value chain to explore pre-competitive collaboration in chiplet innovation.
Just months after unveiling plans for a new automotive chiplet innovation hub in Baden-Württemberg (Germany), imec a global leader in nanoelectronics and digital technologies has inaugurated its office at the IPAI campus in Heilbronn. During the opening ceremony, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann and Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut joined imec CEO Luc Van den hove to highlight the importance of imec’s growing presence in the region, reaffirming its long-term commitment to advancing automotive chiplet technology in close partnership with German industry and research partners.
Based in Southwest Germany, imec’s Heilbronn hub is dedicated to cutting-edge chiplet design, advanced packaging, system integration, sensing, and (edge) AI as part of imec’s broader Automotive Chiplet Program (ACP). Since its launch in March, the first employees have been onboarded, with recruitment progressing steadily. By 2030, imec’s team in Baden-Württemberg is expected to grow to 70 experts.
The Heilbronn hub is also a core partner in CHASSIS, a new European CHIPS JU project dedicated to heterogeneous integration for automotive high-performance computing (HPC), The project’s goal is to develop a modular, scalable hardware platform for software-defined vehicles that meets stringent industrial requirements thereby boosting the competitiveness of Europe’s automotive sector while strengthening its technological sovereignty.
To further strengthen the state of Baden-Württemberg's initiative to regionally expand advanced chip design expertise and maximize synergies on advanced chiplet architecture expertise, imec has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Technical University Munich (Prof. Hussam Amrouch, Chair of AI Processor Design and Head of the Munich Advanced-Technology Center for High-Tech AI Chips MACHT-AI) with the goal to set up knowledge sharing, training and hands-on development of advanced chip designs and advanced packaging for the Baden-Württemberg ecosystem.
“With the opening of our German office, an expanding team, and our active participation in the CHASSIS project, imec and its partners are reinforcing Baden-Württemberg’s innovation ecosystem while accelerating the shift towards chiplet-based architectures within the automotive industry,” said Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec. “And there is more to come. Over time, we aim to extend this support to other sectors as well an essential step towards strengthening Europe’s semiconductor sovereignty. It is a clear example of how local impact and international relevance go hand in hand.”
“To build on this momentum, we chose the IPAI campus to host this week’s Automotive Chiplet Forum bringing together over 100 delegates from dozens of companies across the automotive value chain to explore pre-competitive collaboration in chiplet innovation right here in the birthplace of the automobile,” he added.
Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann: “Baden-Württemberg is both cradle and future of the automobile. We are pleased to welcome imec to our state. By anchoring its automotive chiplet innovation hub in Heilbronn, imec is reinforcing our region’s dynamic semiconductor ecosystem and contributing to our position as a frontrunner in chip innovation and digital transformation. Baden-Württemberg is an innovation driven region and the cooperation with imec strengthens the network of future innovation with industry and academia. Imec's presence here will facilitate a close and productive collaboration between our renown research institutions and our industry, yielding cutting-edge solutions and applications.”
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg: “High-performance chips play a crucial role in software-driven applications in Baden-Württemberg's core industries and are increasingly shaping mobility, artificial intelligence and digitalisation. With the establishment of imec Germany at the IPAI in Heilbronn, an internationally visible centre of excellence has begun its work, which, together with start-ups, industry and research in the region and beyond, will significantly accelerate business-oriented research and development of chip-based innovations in the automotive industry and beyond. For young, innovative companies in particular, this opens up an environment in which they can bring their ideas to market more quickly, benefit from international networks and thus become the backbone of tomorrow's semiconductor and digital economy.”
About imec
Imec (imec-int.com) is a world-leading research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies. Leveraging its state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure and the expertise of over 6,000 employees, imec drives innovation in semiconductor and system scaling, artificial intelligence, silicon photonics, connectivity, and sensing. Imec’s advanced research powers breakthroughs across a wide range of industries, including computing, health, automotive, energy, infotainment, industry, agrifood, and security.
Through IC-Link, imec guides companies through every step of the chip journey - from initial concept to full-scale manufacturing - delivering customized solutions tailored to meet the most advanced design and production needs. Imec collaborates with global leaders across the semiconductor value chain, as well as with technology companies, start-ups, academia, and research institutions in Flanders and worldwide. Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, imec has research facilities across Belgium and in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, Spain, and the USA, with representation on three continents. In 2024, imec reported revenues of €1.034 billion.
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