imec opens Gulf semiconductor research hub in Qatar
Invest Qatar and QRDI deal signals long-term sovereign tech commitment
#Qatar #semiconductors – Belgium-headquartered global nanoelectronics research and innovation centre imec, known as the chip lab of the world, has opened a regional research hub at Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP. The move follows agreements signed between imec and Qatari government investment promotion agency Invest Qatar and national research body the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI). The hub will focus on advanced compute architectures, AI-enabled chip design, silicon photonics, 3D integrated circuits and advanced packaging, hiring approximately 100 people by 2030.
SO WHAT? – imec’s move is a win for Qatar, bringing one of the world’s most influential semiconductor research institutions into the Gulf for the first time. The establishment of a semiconductor R&D hub, aligns with Qatar’s goals of building a semiconductor talent pipeline, accelerating regional technology transfer, and establishing Qatar as a Gulf hub for advanced semiconductor innovation. The deal with imec follows a number of recent Qatari semiconductor and advanced compute investments via QIA.
Here are some key details about imec’s new research hub:
imec, a leading global research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies, has established a regional research hub at Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP, marking the organisation’s first permanent presence in the Middle East and a key moment for the Gulf’s emerging semiconductor landscape.
The hub will focus on advanced compute architectures and AI-enabled chip design, alongside emerging semiconductor technologies including silicon photonics, 3D integrated circuits, advanced packaging solutions, and next-generation process design kits (PDKs).
Generative AI and agent-based AI will be applied to semiconductor innovation at the Doha hub, including the development of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and AI-enhanced design workflows to accelerate the pace of chip development.
Talent development is a central pillar of imec’s Qatar strategy, with the hub offering internships, PhD programmes and postdoctoral opportunities in collaboration with universities, research institutions and startups across Qatar Foundation’s ecosystem of nearly 400 technology and research entities.
imec plans to hire approximately 100 people by 2030, with recruitment beginning immediately across project management, research and development, research engineering and support roles, directly building Qatar’s semiconductor human capital base.
The initiative was formally agreed during the MWC25 Doha conference in November 2025, in the presence of Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, Minister of Communications and Information Technology H.E. Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, and Secretary-General of the National Planning Council Dr. Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, underscoring the government’s commitment to the partnership.
imec brings a formidable global research platform to Qatar, with a team of over 6,000 specialists and a track record spanning four decades of semiconductor innovation, covering system scaling, AI, silicon photonics, communications and sensing solutions across industries from healthcare to energy.
The partnership aligns with Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy and its broader ambition to diversify the national economy through advanced technology investment, positioning the country as a reliable anchor in the global semiconductor and AI computing ecosystem.
imec’s deep-tech venture capital activity adds further dimension to its Qatar presence, with the organisation having closed its second startup investment fund at over €400 million and currently developing a third fund targeting approximately €1 billion, focused on hardware-software deep-tech companies in life sciences, computing and communications.
ZOOM OUT – imec’s arrival in Qatar aligns with the Gulf state’s deliberate strategy to build semiconductor and advanced computing capability. Meanwhile, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, has been assembling a targeted portfolio of semiconductor and advanced compute investments across multiple geographies. In February 2026, QIA participated in a $230 million Series B round for US AI inference chip startup Positron AI. In September 2025, QIA joined the $1 billion Series E round for Palo Alto-based quantum photonic computing company PsiQuantum. Earlier moves include an anchor commitment to France-focused Ardian Semiconductor platform in May 2024 and a minority stake in Japanese semiconductor equipment maker Kokusai Electric in 2023.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]