ASML and Imec have signed a new strategic partnership agreement that will see the two companies focus on semiconductor research and sustainability.

The agreement is set to run for five years and aims to develop solutions that advance the semiconductor industry whilst also supporting sustainable innovation.

In a statement, the two companies said the collaboration would incorporate ASML’s entire product portfolio, with a focus on developing high-end nodes using its 0.55 NA EUV (high-numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet), 0.33 (standard) NA EUV, DUV (deep ultraviolet) immersion, YieldStar optical metrology, and HMI single- and multi-beam technologies.

ASML is the sole global supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography and photolithography machines that are needed to make the most advanced chips.

The tools will be installed at Imec’s pilot line, dubbed NanoIC, established under the European Chips Act to develop and test new components, including sub-2nm chips.

The project was first announced in May 2024 and received approximately €1.4bn ($1.5bn) in public investments from European Union (EU)-funded programs such as Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and the Chips Joint Undertaking, and an additional €1.1bn ($1.2bn) from private companies, including ASML.

Under the terms of the new partnership, focus areas for research and development will include silicon photonics, memory and advanced packaging, and full stack innovation for future semiconductor-based AI applications, the two companies said.

“This agreement marks the next step in the longstanding cooperation between ASML and Imec. It signals our joint ambitions to develop solutions for the semiconductor industry and fits our strategy of investing in technology and innovation that will benefit society at large,” said ASML’s president and CEO Christophe Fouquet.

Luc Van den hove, president and CEO at Imec, added: “The inclusion of ASML’s full product portfolio will allow us to expand and further mature the capabilities of our pilot line, providing the entire semiconductor ecosystem with the most advanced R&D to tackle the challenges of AI-driven technological advancements.”

The NanoIC pilot line is not the first time Belgian R&D company Imec and Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML have worked together.

The two companies operate a joint lab in Veldhoven, the Dutch city where ASML is headquartered, and in June 2024, the two companies announced plans to open the lab up to customers. The facility has seen a number of chip making breakthroughs, including the successful printing of circuit patterns for logic chips with 9.5nm dense metal lines, corresponding to a 19nm pitch and achieving sub-20 nm tip-to-tip dimensions.