The imec R&D center and tower in Leuven, Belgium.
Photographer: Olivier Matthys/Bloomberg
The U.S.-China Tech Conflict Front Line Goes Through Belgium
The imec chip research center is largely unknown outside industry circles, but it’s experiencing unprecedented global demand as semiconductors become politicized.
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 Centre, or 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.