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15 May 2025

The EU’s catch-22 in semiconductors

In the post-Trump world, what should be the goal of the next EU Chips Act?

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Hubregt Visser (Imec NL) at the Benelux RF Conference

The Benelux RF Conference is approaching fast. One of the speakers is Hubregt Visser (Imec NL), who will talk about wireless power transfer: from microwatts powering wireless sensors to megawatts from space powering cities. Mark your calendar for 28 May 2025 and register now to secure your place.

Eyeo bags €15M for color-splitting sensor tech

The startup promises to triple image sensor sensitivity and double resolution.

Techwatch books Vacuum

Holst Centre hosts photonics lab bridging R&D and commercialization

Imec and TNO have launched the Holst Centre Photonics Lab, a state-of-the-art facility aimed at bridging the gap between innovation and industrialization of integrated photonics.

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Solar tester Eternal Sun changes hands

Bolster Investment Partners has acquired an 80 percent stake in Eternal Sun, a The Hague-based supplier of photovoltaic testing equipment.

Dutch LED tech finds its way to US early adopter

US LED firm Luminus Devices has embraced the nano-engineered phosphor technology developed by Amsterdam-based Seaborough.

ASM weighs shifting production in response to tariffs

Depending on how tariffs play out, ASM may shift production load between manufacturing locations.

Nobel Prize winner: ASML is trump card in EU’s negotiations with US

Renowned economist Paul Krugman advises the European Union to use ASML as a pressure lever in tariff negotiations.

In other news

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Six Dutch research consortia dive into advanced imaging technologies (NWO)

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Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war, and everyone’s losing (Inside EVs)

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China makes high-speed laser links in orbit (IEEE Spectrum)

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AMOLF scientists built a brainless soft robot that runs on air (Ars Technica)

Strong leadership is a collective skill

Company leaders’ primary task is to organize collective responsibility, argues Hans Odenthal.

Bits&Chips talks to Marcel Pelgrom (part 1)

In a series of three interviews with Bits&Chips (in Dutch), recorded at the Velorama bicycle museum, Marcel Pelgrom shares his views on artificial intelligence and its impact on the semicon industry.

The AI-driven company: use case challenge

Companies need to clearly assign ownership for AI initiatives and provide sufficient mandate to the AI team. In addition, they need a structured use case identification framework and a systematic deployment process, argues Jan Bosch.

EU Chips Act “needs a reality check,” say auditors

The EU is “very unlikely” to meet its target of a 20 percent market share in global semiconductor manufacturing by 2030, according to the European Court of Auditors (ECA).

Europe should cozy up to Rapidus

Even if Japan’s Rapidus is a long shot, it may be the Old Continent’s best chance of reviving leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.