Belgium

A €2.5B chips research hub and a new $1B-valued security startup place Belgium in coverage spanning EU tech policy, infrastructure, and deep-tech commercialization.

Who they are

Belgium appears in technology coverage as both an EU-market jurisdiction and a base for emerging companies and research activity. Stories connect it to Brussels-led European regulation affecting platforms and services, while Belgium-based firms including Aikido Security, Vertical Compute and Swave Photonics surface in cybersecurity, semiconductors and photonics.

The recent arc

Coverage peaked in 2024Q2 amid the European Union’s rollout of the Digital Markets Act, notably Apple’s decision to withhold Apple Intelligence and iPhone Mirroring in the EU over interoperability concerns. That regulatory thread continued with Google’s proposed removal of hotel-result maps in Belgium, Germany and Estonia, and with reporting on a Belgian criminal probe related to Apple’s minerals supply chain. Belgium also featured in the inauguration of a €2.5B chips research hub.

The tension

The recurring tension is between Europe’s regulatory reach and large technology companies’ ability or willingness to operate uniformly across the bloc. Apple’s DMA dispute, Google’s Search adjustments, OpenDNS leaving Belgium rather than comply with pirate-site blocking orders, and the earlier Belgian privacy action against Facebook all cast Belgium as one national venue within a wider contest over platform obligations, access and accountability.

Why it matters

If the current trajectory holds, Belgium’s relevance could increasingly rest on the combination of EU-rule implementation and domestic deep-tech capacity. Aikido Security’s $60M Series B at a $1B valuation, Uber’s acquisition of Segments.ai, and Vertical Compute’s seed round indicate that the country can also generate companies sought by global buyers and investors; whether that becomes a durable ecosystem will depend on execution beyond these discrete events.

Related: European · Apple · Germany · Facebook · Apple will withhold the release of Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirrorin · Lightning strikes Google Compute Engine data center in Belgium; servic