Andalusia consolidates its position as a European leader in technological sovereignty with the arrival of IMEC in Malaga.

 

The Ministry of Economy, Finance and European Funds, through its Deputy Minister, Amelia Martínez Sánchez, participated in the Imec Technology Forum (ITF Spain 2025), which marked a turning point in Málaga's position on the European technological map. The event, which took place at the Málaga Trade Fair and Congress Centre (Fycma), brought together more than 350 international experts, with a notable 40% of foreign participants.

 

The celebration of the ITF Spain is a reflection of the substantial progress in the implementation of IMEC, the European Interuniversity Centre for Microelectronics, in the province. This project, the result of a coordinated collaboration between the Andalusian Government (through Andalusia TRADE), the Government of Spain, the City Council of Malaga and the University of Malaga, will lay the foundations for the opening of a new and advanced research and development center in the field of semiconductors at Málaga TechPark.

 

This center is considered a step essential to place Andalusia at the vanguard of European technological sovereignty, highlighting the role of IMEC as engine for the implementation of cutting-edge technology and the creation of a fully integrated Andalusian innovation ecosystem.

 

The forum, which is coming to Spain for the first time, brings together more than 350 international experts in Malaga and strengthens Andalusia's leadership in advanced innovation and attracting technological investment.

 

The most ambitious project includes the construction of the IMEC's ​​first advanced cleanroom outside its headquarters in Leuven, BelgiumThis infrastructure will be dedicated to the development of next-generation chips and technologies that surpass silicon, which positions Andalusia and Spain in the global peak of microelectronics and underlines Malaga's commitment to the high added value industrial innovation.

 

The future plant, which will occupy an area of Sqm 46.734,4, It will be the cornerstone of the imminent Estrategia Andaluza de Microelectrónica. It will have a global investment de 615 millones de euros (co-financed with European funds) for its design, construction and equipment, with a forecast of creating 250 jobsThis initiative is also a example of institutional cooperation between all the public administrations involved.

 

In her speech, Deputy Minister Martínez Sánchez highlighted the regional support: "Andalusia's commitment to attracting talent and technological investment is strong. In 2024 alone, 25% of the international projects attracted were in the ICT sector, of which 80% chose Malaga." She emphasized that "the support of the Andalusian Regional Government has been decisive throughout the entire IMEC implementation process, both in the transfer of land and the financing of infrastructure."

 

The choice of Malaga for the forum stems from the agreement signed in March 2024 between IMEC, the Spanish Government, and the Regional Government of Andalusia. The R&D center will not only house the clean room, key to the development of chips for New Generation (300mm wafer and new materials), but will also act as bridge between research and industry, strengthening the national microelectronics ecosystem and consolidating IMEC as the cornerstone of the Andalusian Strategy.

 

The ITF Spain 2025 addressed topics crucial and advanced nanoelectronics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and its applications in various sectors, including automotive and life sciences. This event, along with the recent Global Photonics Economic Forum (GPEF), confirms the Andalusian strategy to be placed in the European technological vanguard, promoting public-private collaboration and projecting the technology brand from the region to the international level.