Jo de Boeck: Europe can still be a player, if we connect the dots

When Jo de Boeck, General Manager of imec The Netherlands, stepped onto the stage at Eindhoven University of Technology, he didn’t talk about one single innovation. He talked about connecting multiple ones. “It’s about talent,” he began. “It’s about building the next generation, to make sure that people with different skills come together.”

In a ten-minute talk that ranged from chip design to European strategy, De Boeck outlined a vision for how the region could stay relevant in a rapidly changing world of semiconductors and high-tech systems. His core message: the challenge is not in any single layer - algorithm, architecture, or material - but in how these layers synchronize.

“The inflection points that we build in technology or in architecture, or the new things that come in from algorithms, need somehow to get synchronized,” he said. “That’s a very important challenge. That’s why bringing technology, materials, and high-tech systems together in one institute is such a great idea.” With that remark, De Boeck referred to the launch of the Casimir Institute, the Eindhoven University’s new institute for chips and high-tech systems.

Synchronizing innovation

De Boeck described the semiconductor landscape as an evolving ecosystem in which every layer moves at its own pace. Algorithms evolve rapidly; chip design and materials follow slower but steadier trajectories. The task for Europe, he argued, is to align these rhythms, connecting the deep science of materials with system-level architecture and AI-driven applications.

For De Boeck, this is precisely where Eindhoven’s ecosystem shines: decades of collaboration between universities, research institutes, and industry. “We have been on a trajectory together for 40 years,” he noted, referring to the deep roots of chip and materials research at TU/e and imec. “It’s going to be a challenge, but also an opportunity to make sure that we build ground in that arena.”

The rise of complexity

From transistors to full systems, complexity is accelerating. The future, De Boeck explained, lies in 'heterogeneous systems', where multiple types of chips and functions coexist in tightly integrated stacks. “We can start building systems that take the best of different worlds,” he said. “With new advances in very thin wafers and layer combinations, we can even think about building different layers of a certain stack and making them really intimately interconnected.”

Such 3D integration could unlock massive performance gains, but only if engineers can manage the heat, energy, and interconnect challenges that come with it, he added. “We can foresee a future that becomes quite complex,” he said, “building new chiplets for more advanced systems that are adaptable to different workloads.”

Yet, he warned, hardware innovation is not enough. “The software is not ready to take that heterogeneity in,” he admitted. Designing across materials, chips, and algorithms requires a new generation of design tools, and, crucially, the people who can wield them. “Let’s make sure that we unravel the mystery of designing in 3D,” he urged, “while saving as much as we can from the resources the planet gives us.”

Jo de Boeck, imec - © TU/e / Bart van Overbeeke

From chips to robots

De Boeck broadened the scope beyond semiconductors. Robotics, mobility, and healthcare will all depend on this new kind of integrated system design. “It’s not only about compute,” he emphasized. “It’s also about perception: understanding what type of data you need to capture and how to fuse it into a model that the central brain can treat.”

He pointed to the automotive industry as an example: “Many different sensors out there, not the easiest market to introduce new components, but the same will hold for robotics and many other fields.” The implication was clear: Europe’s competitiveness will depend not just on making chips, but on mastering the entire chain from materials to intelligent applications.

Europe’s pilot lines

The European Chips Act, De Boeck noted, is already laying some of this groundwork. He outlined the network of pilot lines now being established across the continent, each focusing on a different key technology: Nano IC in France, FD-SOI in France, Heterogeneous integration in Germany, Photonics in Spain (with strong support from Eindhoven), and Wide-bandgap semiconductors in Italy. Imec, he said proudly, is “privileged to be part of most of those pilot lines, because again, it needs to get connected.”

He also mentioned quantum technology, another area where the Eindhoven region plays a vital role. “It’s still a race to run,” he said, “but truly, we as Europe can be a player.”

In closing, De Boeck returned to the human factor. Innovation, he reminded the audience, is not just about research; it’s about mindset. “Let’s make sure that we are entrepreneurial, whether you are in a big company or a smaller one,” he said. “That spirit will bring us to innovation, disrupting the market in a positive way, and getting us to a brighter future.”