Imec maps chip scaling to 2040, says AI's next gains need full-stack integration

Imec’s extension of its semiconductor roadmap to 2040 signals a shift in AI scalability focus from individual components to full-stack integration. This move will pressure upstream technologies like EUV and 3D packaging while driving logic-memory co-design and Chiplet adoption. Geopolitical tensions, especially in key manufacturing hubs such as Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, China, are escalating compliance costs and supply chain risks for global players. Competitors like NVIDIA and AMD are likely to accelerate integrated AI chip strategies to maintain market dominance. Over the next 12–24 months, the industry will pivot toward system-level optimization, with traditional siloed chip design giving way to heterogeneous computing platforms.