Imec to set up chip research centre for automotive sector in Germany
Leuven-based research centre imec and the German state government of Baden-Württemberg will establish a new chip research centre for the automotive sector.
The new centre, named the Advanced Chip Design Accelerator (ACDA), will be set up at the Innovation Park AI in Heilbronn, 50km north of Stuttgart. The Baden-Württemberg government is funding the project, worth 40 million euros, for at least the next five years.
The aim is to carry out research on new chiplet architectures for automotive applications at the centre. This includes developing sensor and AI technology for smart, self-driving cars.
“Today's social challenges require bold solutions: we will only succeed if we work together”
As the “cradle” of the automotive industry in Germany, Baden-Württemberg is the “perfect region” to cooperate with, the partners said. The investment also fits in with Europe's plans to become less dependent on other continents for semiconductor production. Imec plays a central role in that European strategy.
Supercomputers on wheels
“This is a confirmation of our position in the European technology world,” said Luc Van den hove, imec’s CEO. “Cars are increasingly becoming supercomputers on wheels. Chiplets are considered a technology that makes this transition possible.” Chiplets are modular chips with specialised functions like computing and data storage.
“The ties between Flanders and Baden-Württemberg will be strengthened,” said Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele, who attended the launch of the initiative at a trade fair in Hannover. “Today's social challenges require bold solutions: we will only succeed if we work together.”
Recruitment for the centre could start soon, Van den hove said. By the end of the year, he intends to have recruited about 20 people, and in a few years' time there should be 50 to 100 people working there.
#FlandersNewsService | Employees at imec © PHOTO FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP
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