EU launches NanoIC, Europe’s largest Chips Act pilot line
The European Union has inaugurated NanoIC, its largest pilot line under the Chips Act, at IMEC Leuven in Belgium. The facility represents a total investment of EUR 2.5 billion, of which EUR 700 million coming from EU funding, EUR 700 million from national and regional governments, and the remainder from industry partners, including ASML.
NanoIC is designed to accelerate the development of next-generation semiconductor technology, supporting applications in AI, autonomous vehicles, healthcare and 6G mobile technology. It is the first European facility to deploy the most advanced Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine, enabling the design and production of chips beyond two nanometres.
The inauguration also marked the opening of a 2,000 square metre cleanroom expansion at imec's Leuven headquarters, part of a total cleanroom capacity of more than 12,000 square metres. The facility is central to Europe’s ambitions under the Chips Act to strengthen its semiconductor industrial base, drive AI-era innovation, and secure long-term economic growth.
“Since announcing in May 2024 that imec would host the NanoIC pilot line, we’ve moved at full speed – accelerating tool acquisition and launching a comprehensive recruitment program. Today, that effort culminates in the inauguration of a 2,000m² cleanroom extension at the imec premises. It will house a best-in-class toolset, including ASML’s next-generation High NA EUV scanner that is scheduled to arrive mid-March,” said Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec, in a press release.
The facility follows an open access model, allowing start-ups, researchers, SMEs and large organisations to test new chip designs, equipment, and processes at near-industrial scale before full production. It is hosted by imec, with partners including CEA-Leti (France), Fraunhofer (Germany), VTT (Finland), CSSNT (Romania) and Tyndall National Institute (Ireland).
Looking ahead, imec says it will soon start construction of a new 4,000 square metre cleanroom at its Leuven campus, further expanding NanoIC’s capacity. Over the next five years, the pilot line is expected to integrate more than 100 new tools, distributed across imec and partner sites.
NanoIC is intended to bridge the gap “from lab to fab”, serving as a key pillar of the Chips for Europe initiative. The pilot lines aim to strengthen Europe’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain, support industrial competitiveness, and help retain and attract talent.
NanoIC follows the opening of the FAMES pilot line earlier in January this year and is part of a network of five pilot lines (NanoIC, FAMES, APECS, WBG and PIXEurope) representing a combined EU and national investment of EUR 3.7 billion.
