The IO+ week: the future of chips starts with people

Good morning! When we think of chips, we tend to picture billions in investment, ever-smaller structures, and machines that push the boundaries of what is possible. But last Tuesday, the Beethoven Chip Talent Summit in Delft focused on the people who make it all possible. Who designs those chips, who builds the machines, and who makes sure a brilliant idea actually works? Education, industry, and government came together around a shared challenge: training, attracting, and retaining enough talent. The race for chips is also a race for people. Read our report from the summit.

What appeals to me is that this collaboration is now taking tangible shape. Students from vocational colleges, universities of applied sciences, and research universities learn together in cleanrooms, institutions share facilities, and companies help shape courses. TU Delft rector Hester Bijl describes how Beethoven is changing the connections around chip talent. ASML’s Cristina Monteiro adds a clear call to action: leave with at least one concrete commitment. A new partnership, an expanded programme, or a barrier you will remove together. Her message: technology defines the future, but talent makes it possible.

© Robèrt Kroonen

Perhaps the best example was the nationwide expansion of the Leiden School of Instrument Makers. The 125-year-old LiS is sharing its expertise and training standards with Summa, Firda, and ROC van Twente, aiming to grow to around 700 students. This is about much more than additional training places. It is about recognising that an instrument maker is just as indispensable to high tech as a researcher or systems architect. The students on stage demonstrated that through both their work and their enthusiasm. As LiS director Stef Vink puts it: craftsmanship is a mindset.

Once people complete their training, the next challenge begins: helping them find their place and keep developing. Hans de Jong emphasises that making choices brings focus and enables collaboration. The panel discussions on education and the factory floor offered a refreshing perspective: when an employee moves to another company in the sector, they take knowledge with them and gain new experience. That can strengthen the entire ecosystem. But it requires attractive career paths, opportunities to keep learning, and a warm welcome for international talent. The people behind our technological ambitions deserve at least as much attention as the technology itself.

That was our highlight this week. But of course, there was plenty more.

Eindhoven cannot wait for a bigger power grid

How urgent is grid congestion in Eindhoven? Alderman Rik Thijs gives it a 99 out of 100. During the Recharge Eindhoven Hackathon, twelve teams therefore looked for spare capacity on the existing grid. Smarter heat-pump controls, buildings that store heat, and better insight into peak consumption offer opportunities to take action now. Grid expansion remains necessary, but these ideas show how much we can gain by taking a fresh look at the infrastructure already in place.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/congestion-pain-eindhoven-cannot-wait-for-a-bigger-power-grid

A social network where expertise counts

What would happen if an algorithm gave more weight to demonstrable expertise? Italy’s Ivory is putting that idea to the test. On this new European social platform, verified experts get greater visibility in both posts and comments when discussing their field. The founders want to create a place where scrolling is still enjoyable, but where you learn something more often. An interesting experiment in deciding which knowledge we give prominence to online.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/ivory-a-european-alternative-to-instagram-that-rewards-experts

Even with €200 million, you still have to make choices

A €200 million capital injection gives Euclyd room to think big. But COO Douwe Groenevelt also sees a risk: with so many resources, it becomes tempting to take on too much at once. The Eindhoven chip company therefore needs to make clear choices while the AI market keeps changing. Groenevelt explains how Euclyd is seeking that combination of focus and agility, why the High Tech Campus provides a strong foundation, and where he sees opportunities for European funding.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/200-million-can-be-a-distraction-euclyd-on-focus-and-agility

€125 million to take university ideas further

Graduate Ventures is launching a second seed fund targeting €125 million, with €100 million already committed. The fund focuses on young companies emerging from Dutch universities, including those working in AI, deep tech, healthcare, and climate. Well-known business leaders, including Peter Wennink, Frank Slootman, and Michiel Muller, are taking part. Alongside funding, Graduate Ventures offers access to experienced entrepreneurs and their networks: support that can make the difference between a promising research finding and a company that reaches customers.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/graduate-ventures-launches-125m-fund-for-university-startups

Solar cells you can carry in a backpack

Thin, light, and flexible: Perovion Technologies’ perovskite solar cells open up possibilities in places where conventional panels are difficult to use. Think façades, tents, vehicles, and drones. Minister Stientje van Veldhoven and State Secretary Derk Boswijk visited the Eindhoven-based TNO spin-off to explore those opportunities, including for defence. The technology still needs further development and testing, but the ambition is clear: a European production chain for solar cells that make many more surfaces suitable for generating energy.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/government-explores-opportunities-perovskite-cells-in-eindhoven

When the AI assistant came up with a better proof on its own

TU/e mathematician Tom Verhoeff used AI to solve a problem that had remained unproven for sixty years. He then asked a new model to start again from scratch. Within hours, it produced new core ideas for a much shorter proof. That is what makes this story so fascinating: the assistant is becoming an independent problem-solver. It also raises a deeply human question: what does it mean to improve at something when AI increasingly outperforms us?

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/how-a-mathematician-watched-ai-grow-from-servant-to-grandmaster

More researchers, but barely any more spin-offs

The number of researchers at Dutch universities and university medical centres grew 28% between 2015 and 2023, while new academic spin-offs remained around 65 a year. Techleap’s new report shows how difficult the transition from science to entrepreneurship remains. Yet these companies make an important contribution to deep tech and biotech. Identifying promising research earlier, giving researchers better guidance, and involving experienced entrepreneurs are concrete ways to turn more of our knowledge into social and economic value.

https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/dutch-science-grows-spin-offs-stall-

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