Imec and Hokkaido University endeavor to advance semiconductor innovation together

TOKYO (Japan), November 7th, 2024— Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and Hokkaido University, a prestigious institution in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, announced today that they have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to collaborate on advancing semiconductor technology. They aim to leverage the strengths of both institutions to drive innovation and support the growth of the Japanese ecosystem in various sectors.

The LoI underlines the partners’ intention to collaborate on advancing the semiconductor technology roadmap, with an initial emphasis on developing use cases for 2nm semiconductor technology. The two parties aim to explore joint opportunities to help grow Japan’s semiconductor ecosystem by working with local research and development (R&D) companies and strengthening collaboration networks. These efforts are expected to foster opportunities for joint research, specialized training, and PhD-level collaboration. The collaboration between imec and Hokkaido University is expected to add significant value to both organizations and contribute to the growth of the Japanese semiconductor ecosystem.

"We are excited about this potential collaboration with Hokkaido University," said Luc Van den hove, President and CEO of imec. "By leveraging imec’s advanced semiconductor expertise, its application research and state-of-the-art infrastructure with Hokkaido University’s strong research foundation, we aim to contribute to the growth of Japan’s semiconductor ecosystem and drive innovation that benefits the industry as a whole."

“Partnering with imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, represents a unique opportunity to dramatically advance our semiconductor education and research." said Kiyohiro Houkin, President of Hokkaido University.” I believe that the numerous faculties, which make Hokkaido University stand out among national universities, and cover almost all areas of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, position us to contribute to the advancement of semiconductor technology through a diverse range of related scientific fields.”

For the Japanese version of this press release, please visit the Hokkaido University website here.