Málaga, January 17, 2025.- The project to build a leading European center in semiconductor research and manufacturing in Málaga has been accelerated today with the permission that the Junta de Andalucía has signed in favor of the Government of Spain so that it can be built on the grounds where the future infrastructure of the company Imec, leader in research and development of nanoelectronics and digital technologies, will be installed.
Three months after the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, committed the first 105 million euros to materialize this project, today the first step has been taken to start the future works, with the signature between the Government of Spain, via the Spanish Society of Technological Transformation (SETT), and the Junta de Andalucía of the right of use in favor of the Spanish Executive so that it can be built on the grounds of the Technological Park of Andalusia.
With this project, “Málaga becomes the technological capital of southern Europe”, being “at the forefront of the innovation and production capacity” of semiconductors, keys in the manufacture of chips, said the First Vice-President of the Government, María Jesús Montero, who said that the Government of Spain will contribute 500 million euros in this project, which has an estimated total cost of 615 million euros. For the vice-president, today is “a giant step to conquer the future” from the Technological Park of Andalusia, turning it into a “pole for the attraction of technological companies and the creation of employment”.
“Today we take another step in our strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty in the field of microchips and semiconductors, accelerating efforts between institutions for the implementation of the Imec center in Malaga. In addition to the EUR 105 million announced by President Pedro Sánchez for the advisory work of the IMEC, the Government of Spain has committed another EUR 9 million for the development of all the technical projects prior to the construction of the building. And an additional 227 million euros are reserved for the construction of the facilities”, announced the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Óscar López, at the signing ceremony at the Technological Park of Andalusia in Málaga, which was also attended by the President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno; the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre; the Vice-President and Director of Strategy of Imec, Jo de Boeck, and the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Antonio Hernando.
At a later stage, the Government of Spain and the Junta de Andalucía will make contributions to acquire machinery. "This project is a turning point for Imec. For the first time in our history, through Imec Spain we will operate a large facility outside Belgium. This step underlines our commitment to the advancement of innovation in Europe, fostering collaboration that transcends borders,” said Jo de Boeck.
Together with the agreement for the right of use of the land, which covers an area of 51,300 square meters, the Ministries for Digital Transformation and Public Service, and Science, Innovation and Universities signed with the Junta de Andalucía and the City of Málaga a modification of the general agreement signed in July 2024 with the commitment of all the institutions to promote the implementation of the project of installation of an IMEC center in Málaga dedicated to the research and development of 300mm wafers, updating the previous commitments.
In addition, the Spanish Government and IMEC have signed a roadmap that sets conditions for both parties to meet the project objective.
A project for the technological sovereignty of Spain and Europe
The minister referred to the Imec project as “a further step” in the Spanish Government’s commitment to “a digital revolution that combines competitiveness with social and territorial cohesion. A revolution based on public-private collaboration.”
“If we allocate one in three euros of the PRTR to digitization, it’s for everyone to win: the companies with which we carry out the projects, the territories where they are implemented and the people who benefit from their result,” he added. It is estimated that the implementation of this centre in Malaga will generate up to 250 direct jobs in its first four years of operation.
Since 2021, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service has invested over EUR 1.2 billion in projects of all kinds in Andalusia. Investments that have resulted in an increase in the 5G connection in Andalusia from 55.9% to 92.81%, the creation of chairs on Artificial Intelligence and Microelectronics in Andalusian universities or the aid received by about 100,000 SMEs and self-employed to improve their presence on the Internet, electronic sales or cybersecurity. These are key advances to boost the talent and infrastructure capabilities that projects such as Imec require.