Headlines
Editorial
A fine report, Mr. Wennink. Now for the hard part: Does the Netherlands have the stomach for it?
After years of political drift, Peter Wennink’s call for an industrial revival sounds like music to high-tech ears. But how far can a growth strategy go when every necessary reform instantly runs aground in resistance, political theater and bureaucratic inertia?
Opinion
ASML deserved better: Nieuwsuur’s report on China was recklessly thin
In the fraught terrain where technology meets geopolitics, journalistic precision is essential.
Background
With Kinex, Applied and Besi provide a glimpse into their hybrid bonding technology
Applied Materials and Besi launched a fully integrated die-to-wafer hybrid bonding platform at Semicon West. Bits&Chips attended the press meeting about this system called Kinex during Semicon Europe in Munich.
News
Delft-based Quantware steps up quantum scaling with 10K-qubit QPU
Quantware is leaping far ahead of the industry’s incremental progress with the impending introduction of a 10,000-qubit processor, positioning its VIO architecture as a potential new scaling standard in a field that has struggled to grow beyond a few hundred qubits.
Interview
ASML CEO Fouquet: “The faster you grow, the less efficient you get”
ASML chief Christophe Fouquet is rewiring the company’s internal workings as fast growth has burdened engineers with too much red tape, stifling innovation.
Background
How Demcon deflates the space junk problem
Space debris is the new plastic soup. ESA has calculated that millions of pieces of junk are flying around in space, creating new debris with each collision. Demcon High-Tech Systems is developing a passive deorbiter: a lightweight, inflatable sail that increases drag at the end of a mission and allows satellites to decelerate in a controlled manner until they burn up in the atmosphere.
Background
Modular and future-proof – the machine building industry on the road to the digital future
Many companies are lagging when it comes to software-driven solutions and are at risk of being left behind in the industrial automation process. This is further exacerbated by the shortage of qualified specialists, especially engineers. Philipp Wallner of Mathworks explains the challenges that machine builders currently face and the pioneering solutions that leading companies must implement to remain successful in today’s economic climate.
Top job
Events
Courses
Background
Ligentec’s photonics ambitions grow beyond silicon nitride
Ligentec is moving beyond its roots in passive photonics. With new capabilities in modulators, detectors and lasers, the Swiss-French company is betting on heterogeneous integration to stay ahead in a fast-evolving market.
Editorial
Minister Karremans still lives in the pre-Trump era
Rules no longer matter. Only power does.
Interview
Cost pressure in 3D integration opens door for ASML’s precision play
ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet sees opportunities for his firm to enhance 3D integration tool maturity and throughput, applying the same principles that drove the success of EUV and metrology. Don’t expect the payoff to materialize quickly, though.
Background
When every photon counts: Microalign’s key-enabling tech for photonic quantum computing
The ultra-precisely aligned fiber arrays of Dutch startup Microalign address one of the biggest bottlenecks standing in the way of quantum computing at scale.
Editorial
Why abolishing cum laude for PhDs is painful but necessary
Editor Paul van Gerven believes in recognizing exceptional performance, but the cum laude distinction is too dependent on randomness and personal preferences.
Analysis
The semiconductor industry is showing restraint amid AI boom
Seasoned by previous boom-bust cycles, chipmakers are only modestly increasing capex.
Interview
Building a Dutch-Korean precision bridge
Hak Kyung Sung and his Sobujang Forum, a group of several hundred Korean tech companies, is seeking close collaboration with Dutch partners. Bits&Chips sat down with “Dr. Sung” at last week’s Precision Fair to talk about the opportunities that are on the horizon when Dutch and Korean companies work together.