Paul de Bot has been working at the European branch of TSMC since 2015; TSMC is the world’s largest company producing semiconductor chips on behalf of chip designers. De Bot began his career at Philips in video technology and moved to Philips Semiconductors, later NXP, in 2003. In this interview, he advocates for greater investment in rapid innovation and the development of advanced semiconductors in Europe. De Bot also sees opportunities for Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen when it comes to machinery for innovative chip packaging technology. ‘There will be a great deal of demand for this in the near future.’
Why does Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen play an important role in the development of advanced chip packaging technology?
'Chips for artificial intelligence with low power consumption and the smallest possible circuits are the semiconductors of the future. By using advanced packaging technology, the applications of those chips are further enhanced. Besi in Duiven is a key player in this field. This company builds machines for hybrid bonding, which is stacking chips in innovative packaging. These packaging machines will be in great demand worldwide in the future.'
The province of Gelderland recognises the importance of chip packaging technology. During the Lifeport Semicon Event on 27 January, Provincial Executive Member Helga Witjes announced that the province is investing 4 million euros in a ‘pilot line’ at the Chip Integration Technology Centre (CITC). The CITC was launched in 2019 at the Novio Tech Campus in Nijmegen and was taken over by TNO on 1 January 2026. TNO aims to accelerate the development of chip packaging, partly by ‘stacking’ chips.
Without being aware of it, we use semiconductors all day long. Just think of your mobile phone. In addition, chips in devices and data centres in healthcare, mobility, energy supply and agriculture provide vital functions and connections. Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen is committed to cooperation between companies, educational institutions and governments in the health, energy, high-tech/semiconductors sectors towards an economically powerful region where it is good to live, work and play.
When it comes to the lightning-fast developments in the semiconductor industry, De Bot does not look directly at regions or countries, but at Europe's position in the global chip technology race.
What is Europe's position in the world of semiconductors?
‘Europe’s influence in the design of innovative chips has diminished in recent years compared with Asia and, in particular, the United States. Europe must focus more on investing in the design of chips for Cloud AI and data centres. Europe must move away from its obsession with chip manufacturing and avoid focusing too heavily on slow-growing niche markets. Forecasts predict that demand for AI and data centre chips will grow by around 22 per cent in the coming years. That is much faster than the chip technologies on which European companies have traditionally focused.’
Cloud AI accounts for a large proportion of chips used in data centres. In addition to Cloud AI chips, there are also ‘Edge AI’ chips, which are not used in data centres but in phones, PCs and cars. At present, Cloud AI is growing much faster than Edge AI. Google, for example, announced in early February 2026 that it would once again invest 180 billion dollars in data centres in a single year. Indirectly, this is an investment in data centre chips.’
TSMC is building new chip factories in several countries, including near Dresden in Germany. What does Europe need to do to become a more influential player?
'Production follows demand. If Europe wants to share in the growth of semiconductors, it needs to invest in the whole value chain. It starts with software companies, which drive demand for more and better chips. Large software companies are currently indirectly responsible for increasing demand for chips. They ensure that data centres and cloud companies grow and, as a result, so does the demand for chips. Without strong European software companies, data centre and cloud companies, it will be difficult to generate demand for European data centre and cloud chips. It starts with investing in software companies, data centres and cloud companies.'
Scale and innovation at the cutting edge
De Bot continues: 'Scale is important here. Europe has promised to invest 200 billion euros in the development of AI. That's an impressive amount, until you compare it to the investments of US tech giants, each spending similar amounts. So Europe needs to make sharp choices and focus on one or two big European players.
Innovation at the cutting edge, utilising the most innovative chip technologies available, is essential for Europe to be able to compete with major players from elsewhere. This is the most logical path, given that Moore’s Law – which describes the trend towards developing ever smaller and more energy-efficient circuits – will remain in force for years to come.’
