Headlines
Editorial
A Dutch back-end fab would fit into a broader European picture
The business case for a back-end fab in the Netherlands is uncertain and the risks are real. Yet, initiatives with intrinsic potential to strengthen the vitality of Europe’s chip ecosystem shouldn’t be dismissed too easily.
Opinion
From copilot to colleague: the rise of agentic AI
The question for most organizations isn’t whether to engage with agentic AI but how quickly and how deliberately.
Background
“A Dutch OSAT mustn’t depend on R&D subsidies”
Dutch back-end semiconductor experts are exploring the idea of establishing an independent assembly and test facility for panel-level packaging. The concept was recently presented at a meeting in Nieuwspoort in The Hague.
Video
Bits&Chips talks to Imec’s Eric Beyne
Eric Beyne is a senior fellow at Imec, where he’s responsible for 3D system integration. As an introduction to his keynote talk at the Benelux Heterogeneous Integration Conference, on 22 May in Veldhoven, Bits&Chips spoke with him about advanced packaging and current 3D trends in the semiconductor industry.
Editorial
ASML’s aura takes a hit
ASML could have used its considerable financial firepower to avoid the reputational damage of a mass layoff.
News
ASML lifts 2026 sales forecast as customers expand capacity
ASML now expects 2026 revenue between 36 billion and 40 billion euros, driven in part by higher-than-expected demand for immersion tools and continued EUV shipments.
Background
Taiwan’s ITRI looks to strengthen ties with Europe
Integrated photonics and edge applications are becoming a focal point for collaboration between the Netherlands and Taiwan. Backed by new funding and shared ambitions, both sides are exploring how European research strength and Taiwanese manufacturing power can reinforce each other.
Top job
Events
Courses
Interview
Tusk IC bets on CMOS to power Europe’s satellite autonomy
Tusk IC is developing critical components for a new space economy: chips that enable the transmission and reception of millimeter-wave signals. The Antwerp-based startup is focused on CMOS, semiconductor technology that has all the benefits of scale and cost reduction.
Video
Bits&Chips talks to ASML’s Arie den Boef
ASML corporate fellow Arie den Boef is the driving force behind Yieldstar, a metrology instrument that’s indispensable in advanced chip manufacturing. He talks about a quarter century of Yieldstar and the joy and challenges of research and development in close collaboration with customers.
News
Perovion bets on perovskite foil to spark a European solar comeback
Perovskite solar cells have long been seen as the most promising thin-film technology. With the launch of Perovion Technologies, TNO is taking the leap toward industrialization – and a revival of solar cell manufacturing in Europe.
Editorial
Awake at last
For years, ASML built Ferraris. Now it has to make a Volkswagen – and that’s deceptively difficult.
Video
Bits&Chips talks to Maarten Bonnema
For his research work in systems engineering at the University of Twente, Maarten Bonnema keeps a close contact with the high-tech development practice.
News
South Holland builds its own cleanroom for chip education
The education pillar of the Beethoven program has moved into execution. In Delft, students are set to gain access to a dedicated teaching cleanroom.
Video
Bits&Chips talks to Tusk IC
Antwerp-based Tusk IC develops the transmitter and receiver chips for dishes that can communicate with satellites in low Earth orbit. This will open up a market currently dominated by Elon Musk’s Starlink.