Where transatlantic connections happen

A one-day visit to Embedded World North America 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center

First time at Embedded World North America 2026 in Anaheim, California. The “big Embedded World” takes place in Nuremberg, Germany, however the North America edition is worthwhile to visit. We drove up the coast on I-5 to meet potential customers, partners and participants working across embedded systems, AI, connectivity, semiconductors and industrial technology.

Interesting demo in the ST Microelectronics booth, with a lot of partner demos and interesting camera applications with new sensors. We met a couple of people from Belgium and France, but also from the East Coast, and many Taiwanese companies.

This was also the opportunity for Vincent to visit a show which showcases the technologies behind the end applications and services that Skill IT deploys.

A great lunch meeting with CEA-Leti — thank you Frédéric Sève, Leti’s VP North America based in San Francisco, and Sharon Rehbinder, based in LA.

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A networking francophone breakfast on the sidelines of SPIE Optics + Photonics 2026

Clark Hill Law and ABBC International hosted a networking breakfast for francophone professionals attending SPIE Optics + Photonics August 23-27 – the leading multidisciplinary optics and photonics conference, held annually in San Diego. The gathering was a chance to build relationships, exchange perspectives and explore collaboration between Europe, Canada and North America in optics, photonics and advanced technology.

A joint initiative of Clark Hill Law’s French Desk — founded by Lionel Bochurberg Esq. to support francophone clients and cross-border business relationships — and ABBC International, represented by Laurent Delon, partner at ABBC International and Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France (French Foreign Trade Advisor), who welcomed guests and facilitated introductions.

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A one-day visit at DAC 2026 at Long Beach Convention Center

First time at DAC 2026 (the Chips to Systems conference) in Long Beach, California. The visit really confirmed how deeply AI is now woven into every part of design and EDA tools, from RTL to full SoC integration. Great energy, and a clear view of where chip design is heading.

ABBC International connected with the Grenoble (France’s “silicon valley”) ecosystem, meeting several players from the cluster.

Defacto Technologies was there right after its recent acquisition by Siemens, and we had a good discussion with Mr. Chouki Aktouf, its founder.

A great lunch meeting with CEA-Leti — thank you Frédéric Sève, Leti’s VP North America based in San Francisco, and Sharon Rehbinder, based in LA, for a very insightful discussion on how French research and U.S. industry can work together more tightly in AI-driven design.

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A one-day visit to Display Week 2026 at the Los Angeles Convention Center

Display Week 2026 in Los Angeles was a first — and what a “concentration” of world-class research and innovation in displays, semiconductors and data-centric infrastructure.

A few announcements really stood out around advanced semiconductors and data-center scale compute for next-generation visual experiences. The microLED ecosystem in particular feels like it is crossing an important threshold from lab to industrialization, with clear implications for future AR/VR, automotive, and large-format displays.

As usual, we were pleased to see the progress highlighted by CEA-Leti and its partners, including Aledia’s microLED platform.

Thanks to Eric Butaud from Aledia for showing me how they are adapting their 3D GaN nanowire technology to develop ultra-fast optical interconnects for AI data centers. By leveraging semiconductor-grade silicon, this technology enables high-speed, energy-efficient data communication.

Thanks to Frédéric Sève, and to my CCEF colleague Sharon Rehbinder for convincing me to come up from San Diego. Looking forward to continuing these conversations.

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