[1] IMEC has more than 5,500 employees and researchers for advanced semiconductor R&D activities, also including system scaling, silicon photonics, artificial intelligence, beyond 5G communications and sensing technologies.

[8] In 2015, The New York Times stated that IMEC had helped pioneer techniques to produce some of the world's smallest and most sophisticated chips[9] and the centre was considered to be a world-leader in nanoelectronics research.

[10][11] In December 2022, IMEC signed a cooperation agreement with the new Japanese venture Rapidus for the production of 2 nm process semiconductor chips.

In a 2017 report, The Financial Times named IMEC's self-learning neuromorphic chip one of the fifty ideas that will change the world and was described by the newspaper as having the potential to revolutionize computing.

[21][22][23][24][25][26] In 2019, the state of Florida declared a partnership with IMEC to develop hyperspectral technology that is able to better detect invasive Burmese and rock pythons, which have been permanently damaging the Everglades’ eco-systems.

[28] In 2019, The New York Times reported that IMEC's Neuropixels technology is widely recognized as the most advanced method of gathering data from brain cells.

[36] Other applications include ingestible gut sensors designed to capture mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes that occur during digestion, flagging abnormalities and problems while also delivering personalized nutrition advice.

The basic idea was to use a silicon-based sieve to catch extremely small exhaled air particles from the deep lungs and by doing so, already detect the virus in an early stage of the infection.

[38] The Spanish Prime Minister announced in mid-October 2024 that the first 100 million euros had been allocated "for the design and implementation of the scientific infrastructure operated by IMEC" in Málaga.