Latest news with #imec
TECHx
a day ago
- Business
- TECHx
UAE Delegation Explores Tech Ties in Europe
Home » Latest news » UAE Delegation Explores Tech Ties in Europe A UAE delegation led by Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, concluded a successful visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Belgium. The visit began in the Netherlands, where the delegation focused on strengthening bilateral relations in critical, emerging, and advanced technologies. It aimed to enhance cooperation in key areas such as research and development, innovation, and advanced tech. Ameirah AlHefeiti, UAE Ambassador to the Netherlands, accompanied the delegation. They engaged with high-level Dutch officials and entities during the visit. Sharaf held meetings with senior Dutch officials, including: Michiel Sweers, Vice Minister for Foreign Economic Relations Ernst Noorman, Ambassador-at-Large for Cyber Affairs Erwin Nijsse, Director-General of Business Policy and Innovation Harm van de Wetering, Director of the Netherlands Space Office The delegation also participated in a roundtable session on technology and innovation. Discussions included artificial intelligence, space technology, health technology, and scientific research. Moreover, the UAE officials visited Dutch institutions such as TNO, Deltares, ASML, and Eindhoven University of Technology. The visits explored cooperation in applied research, water technology, semiconductors, and academic-industrial partnerships. Following the Netherlands tour, the UAE delegation visited imec's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. imec is a global leader in research and innovation for nanoelectronics and digital technologies. The delegation included Nouf Al Hameli, Science and Technology Adviser at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives from EDGE Group, Dubai Future Foundation, MGX, G42, and the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), also joined. The UAE reaffirmed its commitment to building global partnerships in science and technology. Source: Emirates News Agency
Arabian Post
a day ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
UAE Delegation Eyes Strategic R&D Ties in NL and BE
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai A UAE delegation, under the leadership of Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, has completed visits to the Netherlands and Belgium aimed at expanding strategic collaboration in R&D and critical advanced technologies. The two-day mission centred on forging partnerships in areas including AI, space, health and nanoelectronics. Sharaf, who oversaw the Emirates Mars Mission and now leads the UAE's science diplomacy efforts, engaged Dutch counterparts such as Vice Minister Michiel Sweers and Cyber Affairs Ambassador Ernst Noorman. Meetings with Erwin Nijsse and Harm van de Wetering from the ministries of innovation and space respectively focussed on aligning the UAE's science ambitions with Dutch expertise. ADVERTISEMENT A highlight was a high-level roundtable featuring public and private stakeholders, where both sides discussed collaborative initiatives in artificial intelligence, space tech, biotechnology and broader scientific research. Key Dutch institutions – including TNO, Deltares, ASML and Eindhoven University of Technology – were visited to explore joint applied research programmes spanning water management, semiconductor innovation and university- industry linkages. The delegation's mission concluded with a visit to the imec headquarters and labs in Leuven, Belgium. Imec, a globally recognised centre for nanoelectronics and digital innovation led by CEO Luc Van den Hove, is home to over 5,500 researchers and reported revenue of €846 million in 2022. The UAE delegation toured imec's facilities to investigate potential partnerships involving semiconductor research, AI hardware and future communications. Beyond institutional visits, UAE participants included Nouf Al Hameli, Science and Technology Adviser to Sharaf's ministry, alongside representatives from EDGE Group, Dubai Future Foundation, MGX, G42 and the Technology Innovation Institute under the Advanced Technology Research Council. Their presence signals a cross‑sector push to integrate government, defence, private sector and academic R&D capabilities. The timing of the visit aligns with Europe's ambition to build technological autonomy. In May, EU officials emphasised the importance of domestic AI chip production to strengthen technological sovereignty. The UAE, keen on diversifying its tech ecosystem, stands to benefit from Dutch and Belgian strengths in microelectronics, photonics and applied AI. Analysts note that such collaboration is consistent with a UAE strategy that blends national ambition with international partnerships. Sharaf himself has deep domain credibility: a former board member of the UAE Space Agency and chair of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, he led the Emirates Mars Mission, forging global R&D alliances with institutions in the US and Europe. While official communiqués framed the visits in diplomatic and institutional terms, sources familiar with discussions highlighted potential next steps: co-funded research programmes, joint innovation labs, and student exchange schemes in semiconductor and AI development. Experts caution, however, that cross-border R&D frameworks require careful alignment. Differences in intellectual property regimes, export controls, and standard-setting processes between the UAE, EU and Belgium must be navigated for meaningful cooperation. Partners are expected to elaborate memoranda of understanding, agreeing on joint funding protocols and industry-academia mechanisms. UAE's delegation marks a strategic shift: away from transactional acquisition of tech, and towards co-development through knowledge ecosystems. In engaging flagship institutions like ASML and imec, and government bodies in The Hague, the UAE signals a move to deepen scientific diplomacy alongside its broader economic diversification goals.
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE delegation visits Netherlands, Belgium to explore cooperation in R&D, advanced technologies
11 July 2025 23:30 The HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (WAM)A UAE delegation led by Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, concluded a successful visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and to imec's headquarters in Brussels, initial part of the visit, to the Netherlands, focused on exploring bilateral relations in critical, emerging and advanced technologies, while spearheading strategic collaboration in mutual priority areas such as R&D, innovation, and advanced technologies, as part of the UAE's unwavering commitment to strengthening partnerships with the AlHefeiti, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, accompanied the delegation throughout a series of engagements with high-level officials and Dutch the two-day visit, Sharaf met with Dutch officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Michiel Sweers, Vice Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Ernst Noorman, Ambassador-at-Large for Cyber Affairs; as well as Erwin Nijsse, Director-General of Business Policy and Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs; and Harm van de Wetering, Director of the Netherlands Space delegation also participated in a technology and innovation roundtable session with leading Dutch entities, focusing on emerging and advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, space tech, health tech, and scientific delegation visited several leading Dutch institutions during the trip, including TNO, Deltares, ASML, and the Eindhoven University of Technology, to explore potential cooperation on the latest innovations in applied research, water research and technology, semiconductor technology, and academic-industrial collaboration. Following the visit to the Netherlands, the UAE delegation concluded its tour in Belgium by visiting imec's headquarters and laboratories, the world-leading independent research and innovation center for nanoelectronics and digital technologies. The delegation included Nouf Al Hameli, Science and Technology Adviser at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EDGE Group, Dubai Future Foundation, MGX, G42, and the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC).
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Top semiconductor lab imec eyes 'programmable' AI chips, CEO says
AMSTERDAM, May 19 (Reuters) - The CEO of imec, one of the world's top semiconductor R&D firms, has said the industry needs to steer towards reconfigurable chip architectures if it wants to avoid becoming a bottleneck for the future generations of artificial intelligence. Rapid AI algorithm innovation outpaces the current strategy of developing specific, raw-power-focused chips, leading to major drawbacks in energy, cost and hardware development speed, CEO Luc Van den hove said in a statement seen by Reuters ahead of its publication. "There is a huge inherent risk of stranded assets because by the time the AI hardware is finally ready, the fast-moving AI software community may have taken a different turn," he said. Some, like OpenAI, have taken the path of building custom chips to speed up innovation, a move Van den hove said was risky and uneconomical for most. The Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) pioneers many semiconductor breakthroughs that chipmakers like TSMC ( opens new tab and Intel (INTC.O), opens new tab often widely adopt years down the line. As the AI industry moves beyond large language models to agentic AI and physical AI for medical or autonomous driving applications, Van den hove sees future chips regrouping all necessary capabilities into building blocks called supercells. "A network-on-chip will steer and reconfigure these supercells so they can be quickly adapted to the latest algorithm requirements," Van den hove said. This will require true three dimensional stacking, a manufacturing technique where layers of logic and memory silicon are bonded together, he added. Belgium-based imec was a significant contributor to the advancement and refinement of 3D stacking, a technology that will be featured in TSMC's A14 and Intel's 18A-PT future nodes. The research and development firm will hold its flagship conference, ITF World, on Tuesday and Wednesday in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Top semiconductor lab imec eyes 'programmable' AI chips, CEO says
FILE PHOTO: Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The CEO of imec, one of the world's top semiconductor R&D firms, has said the industry needs to steer towards reconfigurable chip architectures if it wants to avoid becoming a bottleneck for the future generations of artificial intelligence. Rapid AI algorithm innovation outpaces the current strategy of developing specific, raw-power-focused chips, leading to major drawbacks in energy, cost and hardware development speed, CEO Luc Van den hove said in a statement seen by Reuters ahead of its publication. "There is a huge inherent risk of stranded assets because by the time the AI hardware is finally ready, the fast-moving AI software community may have taken a different turn," he said. Some, like OpenAI, have taken the path of building custom chips to speed up innovation, a move Van den hove said was risky and uneconomical for most. The Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) pioneers many semiconductor breakthroughs that chipmakers like TSMC and Intel often widely adopt years down the line. As the AI industry moves beyond large language models to agentic AI and physical AI for medical or autonomous driving applications, Van den hove sees future chips regrouping all necessary capabilities into building blocks called supercells. "A network-on-chip will steer and reconfigure these supercells so they can be quickly adapted to the latest algorithm requirements," Van den hove said. This will require true three dimensional stacking, a manufacturing technique where layers of logic and memory silicon are bonded together, he added. Belgium-based imec was a significant contributor to the advancement and refinement of 3D stacking, a technology that will be featured in TSMC's A14 and Intel's 18A-PT future nodes. The research and development firm will hold its flagship conference, ITF World, on Tuesday and Wednesday in Antwerp, Belgium. (Reporting by Nathan Vifflin in Amsterdam, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
