Imec is broadening its cooperation with South Korea's semiconductor industry beyond major memory chipmakers to include the wider chip ecosystem, such as fabless companies, materials suppliers, and equipment firms. The move reflects the Belgian research institute's strategy to deepen partnerships with Korea not only in advanced semiconductor R&D, but across the entire industry chain.
Speaking to reporters at “ITF World 2026” in Antwerp on Tuesday, Lee Gil-yong, vice president and head of strategic partnerships for Korea at Imec, said Korea has long been a semiconductor powerhouse, but collaboration with Imec had largely focused on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. He added that the institute is now expanding cooperation to system semiconductor companies, fabless startups, materials makers, and equipment suppliers.
Imec recently strengthened its Korea-focused partnership operations. Lee explained that while Korea has always been strategically important, it took time to build a dedicated organization capable of supporting broader business expansion. He said Imec is currently exploring partnerships with Korean startups and mid-sized firms in areas including healthcare, AI semiconductors, automotive technology, and semiconductor materials and equipment.
According to Lee, many AI fabless startups possess innovative chip ideas or specialized technologies but lack the resources to handle the full development process from design to prototype manufacturing. Through Imec, such companies can access chip design platforms, libraries, and process development environments needed for semiconductor development. He emphasized that reducing the uncertainty of future technologies through shared infrastructure is central to Imec's business model.
“Companies are already stretched thin managing both R&D and production, and technology development is ultimately a race against time,” Lee said. “By leveraging shared research infrastructure, companies can lower costs and risks while validating future technologies.”
One example is Imec's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) research environment. While Samsung Electronics and SK hynix also operate EUV equipment, most of their systems are dedicated to mass production, limiting opportunities to freely test new materials or processes. Imec, by contrast, uses cutting-edge EUV systems primarily for research, serving as a testbed for advanced semiconductor technologies.
Lee noted that Imec has accumulated long-term research capabilities in areas such as photonics and sensors, which are difficult to sustain based solely on short-term commercial demand. He said the institute's strength lies in its ability to verify new materials and processes that are difficult to test on commercial production lines, while also developing optimized process conditions and contamination control methods.
Regarding discussions about creating a “Korean Imec” or an “Asian Imec,” Lee took a cautious stance. He pointed out that Imec's infrastructure required enormous investment over many years and stressed that complementary cooperation leveraging each region's strengths would be more effective than simply replicating the model elsewhere.
