Breakthroughs in electronics, photonics and circularity for Holst
New chip technology, organ-on-chip, circular electronics, and AI chips dominate Holst Centre's 2024 annual report
Published on June 7, 2025
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The Holst Centre, a research center located on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, looks back on a year marked by technological breakthroughs and strengthened ecosystems in its recently published 2024 annual report. From advanced chip innovations to circular electronics and medical wearables, the center confirms its role as a driver of economic and social innovation.
In 2024, Holst Centre collaborated with TNO to develop a proof-of-concept for high-resolution 3D-printed electronics. This innovation enables the integration of complex electronic functions directly into 3D-printed structures. Applications range from advanced medical wearables to new forms of semiconductor packaging.
Holst Centre also plays a key role in the European photonics program PIXEurope. As part of Pilot Line 5, it is working on integrating photonic chips (Photonic Integrated Circuits, or PICs), which are significantly faster and more energy-efficient than traditional chips. “We are seeing real momentum in photonics-based applications,” say directors Kathleen Philips and Ton van Mol in the foreword to the report.
Axelera AI: European AI powerhouse
One of the major successes is the spin-off Axelera AI, founded in 2021. In 2024, the company raised €61.6 million from the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Axelera develops scalable chiplets for high-performance AI applications based on Digital In-Memory Computing. This positions the region as a strategic center for AI hardware in Europe.
2024 was also an important year in health technology. The Holst Centre enhanced the accuracy of optical sensor technology with speckle plethysmography (SPG), enabling the non-contact measurement of vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate with even greater reliability, regardless of skin color. This paves the way for smarter, non-invasive monitoring in hospitals and at home.
In the energy transition, Holst made progress in electrolyzers for green hydrogen production. With its patented NovaPTL® technology and innovative components, up to 200 times less iridium is used – a crucial step towards scalable and affordable hydrogen generation.
Circular design is the norm
Together with TactoTek, Holst Centre developed the first truly circular in-mold electronics (IME). Thanks to the use of new materials, these innovative interface solutions, for cars and household appliances, among other things, are now repairable and recyclable. Test results show that up to 97% of the plastics used are reusable without compromising functionality.
Holst Centre continued to build its ecosystem in 2024. The center now has 220 full-time employees, 49 PhD positions, 58 scientific publications, and 54 active partnerships. It also supports a large number of European projects, such as ECOTRON (for bio-based and recyclable electronics) and NEHIL (for LiDAR solutions based on neuromorphic chips).
Looking to the future
With the opening of a state-of-the-art Battery Lab and the success of Innovation Day, which attracted 470 visitors from industry and science, Holst Centre is underlining its role as a connecting innovation engine. The establishment of the ChipNL Competence Centre, in collaboration with imec, also marks a significant step for the Netherlands' chip ambitions under the EU Chips Act.
“Our ambition is not to maintain our place in the chain,” says Ton van Mol. “We want to strengthen it and become indispensable.”