The U.S.-China Tech Conflict Front Line Goes Through Belgium Bloomberg 4 hrs ago Alan Crawford (Bloomberg) -- The historic Belgian city of Leuven is known for its centuries-old university and as the headquarters of brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev NV. Less so as the location of a semiconductor research organization that is now the center of both political and industry attention. Popular Searches The Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, or imec, may be Belgium’s best-kept secret, but it’s in global demand for its work on the future of computer chips, with applications in areas from genome sequencing to autonomous driving.