Fabrizio Del Maffeo

At the electronica show in Munich, we spoke with Bart Plackle, vice president of automotive at imec, about the transformative trends shaping the #automotive industry. With a career spanning over two decades, including pivotal roles at Intel, Bart now leads imec’s automotive division, focusing on next-generation #vehicle architectures. Our conversation explored critical topics such as the shift to electric and #autonomous vehicles, #semiconductor challenges, sustainability in automotive electronics and the revolutionary potential of #chiplet technology. Bart shared insights on how imec is addressing these challenges, from enabling scalable ecosystems to driving innovation in chiplet integration for #AI and vehicle safety. As the automotive sector navigates this disruptive period, imec’s roadmap highlights the importance of collaboration, standardization and sustainable technology to pave the way for the vehicles of tomorrow. Video Interview: https://lnkd.in/gjfqjgJx #electronica

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imec taps CCD for 3D CXL #memory in data centres 💡 Belgian research lab imec has developed a 3D charge-coupled device that could be used as a replacement for #DRAM in data-intensive #compute applications. The compute express link (#CXL) type-3 buffer memory promises to vastly surpass DRAM in terms of bit density and cost efficiency. This buffer memory is a off-chip pool of memories that feeds the various #processor cores with large data blocks via a high-bandwidth CXL switch. The design, shown at the 2024 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco this week, uses 3D integrated charge-coupled device (CCD) #technology adopted from image #sensors combined with an oxide #semiconductor channel material such as #indium #gallium #zinc #oxide (IGZO). This could provide five times the density of existing DRAM buffers. Thanks again to Nick Flaherty and eeNews Europe for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/dyzxAdXj #semiconductormanufacturing #innovation #chip #chips #innovation #ip #tech #europe #datacenter #computing #computer #icdesign #it

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🔬 Revolutionizing Electronics Reliability with Canary Chips 🚗 Read about this User2User 2024 presentation. Dr. Thomas Kallstenius from Imec unveils their groundbreaking Canary chip technology that can predict and monitor degradation in electronic components, with a focus on mission-critical automotive applications. Discover how this innovative solution can benefit industries like data centers, aerospace, and medical devices, ensuring uncompromising reliability and longevity. Click to read the blog now: https://sie.ag/6g8e87 #eda #3dic #semiconductor #user2user #chiplet

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For this installment of my Christmas “Invent Calendar” surfacing the world’s most influential regions for AI/ML semiconductor technology, we visit The Netherlands, and the answer to how this agricultural landscape evolved into Europe’s startup crown lies in its generational legacy of innovation. In the 1980s, Eindhoven and Velhoven became fertile ground for technology development through government investment. ASML was born as a joint venture between Philips and ASM yet for its first ten years, it was little more than a scrappy project run from a shed on Philips’ campus. But thanks to the founder’s entrepreneurial spirit and tenacity (which formed the ‘cultural foundation’ that other Dutch startup founders would later adopt) and a little luck, ASML would rise. TSMC’s legendary founder Morris Chang placed the world’s first big order for ASML’s lithography machines, but a fire broke out at their fab destroying the equipment. TSMC’s insurance covered the loss and they reordered the same machines, which not only solidified the bond between the two companies, but it gave ASML a much-needed financial windfall. Their influence grew stronger, and under the leadership of Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink, they released one generation of equipment after another, fathering many new technologies in the process. They also fostered The Netherlands’ culture of pride in ownership by not only allowing but ENCOURAGING engineers to file patents in their own names. These milestones made The Netherlands a premier destination for aspiring entrepreneurs, who flock from around Europe and many others have been attracted by influential schools like Delft University of Technology and Eindhoven University of Technology which built world-renowned engineering programs. We should also acknowledge the impact of Dutch accelerators like imec, which has given rise to many startups through research grants and access to advanced equipment. The mindset in The Netherlands stands in contrast to funding startups only to own them. Rather than establishing a serfdom, The Netherlands focused on building a community that respects its forefathers and supports the ecosystem by contributing back. I’ve seen this demonstrated by leaders like Sumeet Kumar of Innatera and Fabrizio Del Maffeo of Axelera AI, who evangelize the intellect of the region and often speak at universities to motivate and attract talent. I’ve also seen this form of collectivism in Dutch companies like SMART Photonics and PhotonDelta, which do a lot to drive startups forward through grants and access to services. So, what can other regions learn from The Netherlands? Foster ecosystems where talent thrives, empower innovation, and build communities that give back. Many great kingdoms have risen and fallen because of power struggles, but those built on a shared purpose endure the test of time. I think the Netherlands’ “Golden Age” is just getting started. #semiconductorindustry #semiconductors #startups

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INSIGHTS on imec’s WORK ON Solid-state LiDAR vs. mechanical LiDAR Optica’s coverage of the recent imec #ITF2024 in Antwerp, Belgium, continues, and we appreciate the positive feedback we’ve received so far. There are many reasons why today’s mechanical and hybrid (solid-state combined with mechanical) LiDAR technologies don’t meet the demands of tomorrow’s applications: - They’re too bulky and costly to integrate elegantly into devices such as cars, VR devices, and mobile lidar systems. - They often depend on experts for their operation and calibration, adding to the price tag. - They’re composed of moving parts, making them vulnerable to vibrations and shocks. Moreover, mechanical LiDAR's angular resolution does not meet the requirements needed for activities such as long-range scanning. For example, to resolve a cm-scale object from 200-300 m, you need an angular resolution of 0.01°. At imec’s recent ITF2024 exhibition, we grabbed a few words from Joris Van Campenhout, program Director Optical I/O at imec to find out why they are integrating all LiDAR components on one integrated circuit, to ensure solid-state LiDARs overcome all these drawbacks. They’re compact, contain no moving parts, and can be mass-produced (wafer level) at a relatively low cost per device. Imec is doing this together with PhotonDelta and the Holst Centre in Eindhoven. So what’s next?

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https://lnkd.in/gWkrB5Xv Reflecting on the closure of a semiconductor fabrication plant, originally a copy of Baron Roger van Overstraeten’s 200mm plant at imec—a testament to his and Gaston Geens’ visionary leadership. Despite enduring multiple acquisitions, this resilient team@ now faces the end of an era. It’s incomprehensible, particularly in the context of the burgeoning demand for semiconductor experts driven by AI development and the energy transition. This closure is taking place in Flanders, a region known for its leadership in semiconductor innovations through its partnership with imec. This situation starkly highlights the challenging investment climate in Flanders for advanced manufacturing. Looking ahead, I remain hopeful that the incoming government will recognize the critical need to support and rejuvenate this sector. I am committed to offering my support where necessary to facilitate these efforts. Bart De Wever Luc Van den hove Rudi Cartuyvels Rudi De Winter Andre Oosterlinck Anneleen Van Bossuyt Jan Jambon

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IMEC and ASML are both 40 years old this year and the trust and partnership between our two organizations has created so much innovation and results that has contributed to advancing the semiconductor industry's golden goals of reducing the power consumption of chips, Improving their preformance and shrinking their size while reducing the carbon footprint of our industry and hence creating the chips that drive AI and contribute to a better world for all of us. Our partnership with ASML is a true testament to the power of collaboration and partnership. https://lnkd.in/gDfCaxGm

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How many ASML High NA EUV systems are installed and operational worldwide by now?

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Canon Delivers Nanoimprint Lithography System to TIE, Reportedly Capable of Producing 2nm Chips: https://lnkd.in/ez4pM2Ra Has the new semiconductor manufacturing equipment capable of rivaling ASML’s EUV lithography machines been shipped? Canon Inc. has announced that it will deliver its latest lithography platform, the FPA-1200NZ2C nanoimprint lithography (NIL) system for semiconductor manufacturing, to the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE), a semiconductor consortium based in Texas, according to its press release. Citing an interview with Kazunori Iwamoto, Deputy General Manager of Canon’s Optical Equipment Division by Nikkei, a report by MoneyDJ notes that Canon aims to sell “a dozen units each year within 3 to 5 years”. #semiconductor #manufacturing #technology #innovation #chips #intel #semiconductormanufacturing #samsung #TSMC #micron #skynix #smic  #EUV #DUV #lithography #advancedtechnology #engineering #apple #nonometer #AI #research #development #mobileprocessors  

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SiliconAuto TW SiliconAuto India are thrilled to be part of this initiative and push the innovation envelope on scalable and high performance Chiplet architectures towards building robust SDV's. Chiplets allow for modular designs, enabling manufacturers to customize and upgrade vehicle computing systems (HPC's) more efficiently than traditional monolithic integrated circuits (ICs). This modularity can lead to significant reductions in development time and costs. imec's Automotive Chiplet Program (ACP) is a pioneering initiative aimed at transforming the automotive industry's approach to semiconductor technology through the adoption of Chiplet architectures. This program operates as a pre-competitive research effort, bringing together various stakeholders from the automotive value chain, including major companies like Arm, BMW Group, Bosch, and Cadence Design Systems. This collaboration aims to create a standardized ecosystem for Automotive Chiplets that enhances flexibility and reduces development costs for Tier-1's, Tier-2's and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

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Kickstart the week in California:   Imec's ITF USA not only gave insight's into the next generations of semiconductor packaging but also addressed the topic of women in tech and the environmental impact of the #semiconductor industry. Emily Gallagher of imec beatifully showed: The more processing steps you have in your fab, the more emissions you generate!   Meeting my dear friend Salah Nasri, the man behing International Semiconductor Executive Summits , gave me the opportunity to dive into the buzzling ecosystem of the Stanford University campus. The density of talent and decision makers you can meet here is just breathtaking. Deep discussions about tech, funding, politics all within a couple of hours. It also gave me the opportunity to sneak into a presentation of Sara Spangelo, formerly Swarm Technologies (acq. by SpaceX) now SpaceX X, on how to sucessfully scale and sell a hardware, deep tech #startup! Inspiring!!!!   Now, off to #SemiconWest, where we will present Scrona Ltd.’s third generation of high precision, high throughput multi-nozzle printheads to disrupt micron-scale manufacturing by moving from a subtractive to an additive mode, significantly reducing the necessary processing steps. Which, as Emily demonstrated, will significantly reduce emissions!   Let’s see what Tuesday will bring: Reach out if you are at Semicon West and let’s meet! SEMI SEMI Sustainability

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Imec demonstrates logic and DRAM structures using High NA EUV Lithography: https://lnkd.in/dBwc_iQc imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, presents patterned structures obtained after exposure with the 0.55NA EUV scanner in the joint ASML-imec High NA EUV Lithography Lab in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. Random logic structures down to 9,5nm (19 nm pitch), random vias with 30nm center-to-center distance, 2D features at 22nm pitch, and a DRAM specific lay out at P32nm were printed after single exposure, using materials and baseline processes that were optimized for High NA EUV by imec and its partners in the framework of imec’s Advanced Patterning Program. With these results, imec confirms the readiness of the ecosystem to enable single exposure high-resolution High NA #EUV #Lithography. #semiconductor #manufacturing

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Firms including chip equipment maker ASML set up fund for Eindhoven development : https://lnkd.in/dKh5XQfA A group of Dutch technology firms including computer chip equipment maker ASML said on Wednesday it will contribute around $230 million to developing infrastructure in the Eindhoven area of the Netherlands. The move is tied to "Operation Beethoven," a plan announced in March by the Dutch government to spend 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) to improve housing, transportation, education and electricity in the region, one of Europe's fastest-growing technology hubs. Reported by Reuters #semiconductor #manufacturing #technology #innovation #chips  #semiconductormanufacturing #advancedtechnology #engineering #lithography #nanometer #research #development #AI  #mobileprocessors #EUV #DUV

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Will Europe become the world’s foundry for photonic chips? : https://lnkd.in/eCDzDiRF The European Union is investing €380 million to establish a testing facility for photonic chips, with production lines planned in the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Enschede. As announced by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, PIXEurope, a consortium spanning 11 countries, is managing the investment. Of the total investment, €133 million is earmarked for the Netherlands’ pilot production line. While photonics research has so far been concentrated in academia, the private sector is now making significant strides in this field. Eindhoven-based SMART Photonics is positioned to be a key player in the pilot facility, which is scheduled to break ground in mid-2025. “Through the PhotonDelta project funded by the National Growth Fund, dozens of small and medium-sized enterprises are collaborating with technology and innovation partners, putting the Netherlands at the forefront of photonic chip production,” the ministry stated. #semiconductor #manufacturing #technology #innovation #chips  #semiconductormanufacturing #advancedtechnology #engineering #lithography #nanometer #research #development #AI  #mobileprocessors #EUV #DUV

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