THE HAGUE, March 28 -- The Dutch government announced on Thursday to invest 2.5 billion euros (2.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the microchip sector.

The leading Dutch companies and knowledge institutions in the microchip industry are mainly located in the Eindhoven region in the southern province of North Brabant, which is known as Brainport Eindhoven.

The government held several meetings under the name "Project Beethoven" in recent weeks to address how to support chip companies like ASML and NXP.

The Dutch government and regional administrations agreed to facilitate those institutions' development by dealing with the shortage of personnel, space and energy.

With new investments to boost education, research and innovation, and infrastructure, the Dutch government expects to ensure that the Netherlands remains an attractive location for the microchip sector and its suppliers.

  - Xinhua