ECE Colloquium: Paul Heremans (imec)

Corporate presentation of imec: compute system challenges and opportunities

The growth of AI is spurring a demand for further exponential growth of compute power. This growth can’t be obtained by innovations in system architecture and software alone. Deeptech hardware innovations are needed as well. In the talk, I will discuss technology options and research directions for the main hardware building blocks of future compute systems, being logic, memory and interconnects, all the way from devices down to materials.
 

Bio: Paul L. Heremans is Corporate CTO at imec and senior fellow. He is also a professor in the electrical engineering department at the KU Leuven. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the KU Leuven, Belgium, in 1990. Heremans joined the opto-electronics group at imec, where he contributed to advancements in optical inter-chip interconnects and high-efficiency III-V thin-film surface-textured light-emitting diodes. From 2013 to 2016, he was technology director at the Holst center, Eindhoven, specializing in organic and IGZO TFT, OLED and display technologies. Since 2024, he served as senior vice president of the sector Industry & Consumer at imec. Since October 2025, Heremans is Corporate CTO. He is responsible for overseeing imec’s technology strategy in semiconductor technology, devices, and sensors. He drives innovation across research and development, fosters collaboration between industry and academia, and ensures that technological initiatives align with the organization’s long-term vision. Paul is recognized for his scientific excellence and impactful contributions and holds the distinguished title of Senior Fellow at imec. He has been the holder of two advanced ERC grants.