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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In May 2002, Belgian research institute imec began the procedure to seek an export license for proposed advanced semiconductor-process cooperation with China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). The two organizations had signed a letter of intent after discussions began in mid-April, but the contemporaneous report did not say the license was granted or that the proposed alliance was completed.
What imec announced in 2002
EE Times reported on May 31, 2002, that imec had taken steps to prepare for a previously announced technology alliance with SMIC. The report described a proposed institutional collaboration on advanced chip-making technology—not a consumer product launch or a completed partnership. EE Times, May 31, 2002
According to that report, discussions began in mid-April 2002 and the organizations signed a letter of intent. In May, imec initiated the procedure to apply to Belgian authorities for an export license. A letter of intent and the start of an application procedure are separate from a final agreement and an approved license.
Why an export license mattered
The contemplated work involved advanced semiconductor process technology. Imec said that certain cooperation with SMIC on this technology would depend on the Belgian authorities granting an export license. The condition made government approval a prerequisite for that part of the proposed cooperation; it did not establish that approval had been obtained.
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“For these reasons, certain cooperation with SMIC on advanced semiconductor process technology subject to governmental approval will be conditional on the Belgian authorities’ grant of an export license,” said Gilbert Declerck, then imec president and CEO. EE Times, May 31, 2002
Declerck also responded to allegations reported in the international press: “Contrary to recent allegations in the international press, IMEC has always respected international regulations, and will continue to do so,” he said. This is a statement attributed to imec’s then-president and CEO in the 2002 report.
What the process-node figures meant at the time
The article placed the proposed work against China’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions as they were described in 2002. It said the most advanced technologies it described as approved by the U.S. government and other entities in China were tools and other technologies for making 0.25-micron integrated-circuit designs and above. It also reported that SMIC and other Chinese chip makers were aiming to develop 0.18-micron designs by the end of 2002 or sooner. These are historical figures from the contemporaneous article, not descriptions of current manufacturing capabilities.
What is—and is not—established
- Established by the 2002 report: imec and SMIC signed a letter of intent after discussions began in mid-April; imec initiated a Belgian export-license application procedure in May; and certain advanced process-technology cooperation was stated to depend on Belgian approval. EE Times, May 31, 2002
- Not established by that report: whether Belgian authorities granted the license, whether the proposed arrangement was completed, or whether the contemplated cooperation proceeded as described.
How later testimony relates to the proposal
In written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology dated April 8, 2025, Gregory C. Allen discussed industry-source accounts that SMIC might have worked with European research laboratories such as imec on EUV-based manufacturing in early 2020. That is later, attributed context—not confirmation that the 2002 proposal was completed or continued. Gregory C. Allen’s written testimony, April 8, 2025
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