Interview — Professor Martijn Heck

The Unintended Diplomat of Light

I travelled to Eindhoven for a conversation about chips. Not to analyse schematics or count transistors, but to understand what technology truly represents today. In a world where geopolitical power is increasingly exercised through machines, the chip is no longer a technical object — it has become a strategic crossroads.

The interview with Professor Martijn Heck therefore did not begin with a prepared list of questions. That list remained closed. Instead, the conversation unfolded organically, revealing how difficult it has become to maintain perspective. Chips now touch energy systems, security, data flows, defence, education and sovereignty all at once. Anyone attempting to impose order quickly discovers how fragmented the landscape has become.

Halfway through the conversation, Heck raised a fair question: whether I sufficiently understood the technology itself. It was not a test, nor a correction, but a concern. Because speaking about chips without understanding their physics means missing the core. Yet precisely in that moment it became clear what this interview was really about — not the chip itself, but Europe’s position in a world where the United States speaks loudly and China builds quietly.

“Electrons are like a crowd trying to run through a narrow corridor — they collide, generate heat and slow each other down. Photons move through open space. They don’t interact, they don’t heat up and they travel at the speed of light.”

Prof. Dr. Martijn Heck
Professor of Photonic Integration — Eindhoven University of Technology

The Absent Consortia

Why Europe Needs Editorial Courage More Than Ever

Europe currently occupies the center of global attention. War at its eastern border. Trade tensions reshaping supply chains. The fragile triangle between the United States, China and Europe itself. These are not marginal issues; they are structural shifts that will define the coming decades.

And yet, despite the volume of coverage, something essential is missing.

Not information — we are saturated with that.
Not urgency — every headline insists on its own importance.
What is missing is direction.

Over the past decades, many European media organizations have collapsed or hollowed out. Technology is often blamed, and rightly so. But the deeper cause lies elsewhere: a slow erosion of editorial ambition. Pages had to be filled. Formats had to be maintained. Audiences had to be retained — preferably older, loyal, and predictable ones.

The result is a media landscape where form has overtaken meaning.

Across Europe, the distinction between outlets is fading. The same subjects dominate. The same voices are amplified. Microphones are pushed under the same faces, accompanied by the illusion of differentiation: the sharpest question, the most assertive tone, the fastest response.

Everything becomes headline material — and therefore nothing truly matters.

Geopolitics with Peter Davidsen

How do global forces shape everyday life — and how can we respond?

Peter Davidsen, doctor of philosophy, research advisor at the University of Copenhagen and author of the forthcoming Routledge book Geopolitics, the State & Political Science (2026), occupies a rare position at the intersection of scholarship, journalism and societal reflection. Educated at University College London and the University of Helsinki, Davidsen combines deep expertise in political thought with a journalist’s sensibility for narrative. This dual perspective allows him to translate dense theories into insights that resonate beyond the academy.

At the University of Copenhagen, he advises researchers across social sciences, law, theology and humanities, supporting them in securing external funding. His role is both strategic and practical: he understands how ideas become actionable projects and how knowledge infrastructures shape the way states and societies operate.

“The state is not just a legal entity on a map; it is the silent architecture of our daily lives. To understand geopolitics is to understand the walls and windows of our own home.”
— Peter Davidsen, Fil.Dr., Research Advisor, University of Copenhagen

For Davidsen, geopolitics is far from abstract; it is the lens through which citizens experience law, governance and power in everyday life. His approach humanizes the state, emphasizing the impact of high-level decisions on ordinary people. This perspective aligns with Altair Media’s mission to connect global dynamics with societal relevance, highlighting the stakes for communities and younger generations navigating uncertainty.

His research and upcoming book grapple with themes of power, knowledge and innovation. He asserts that in today’s era, controlling narratives and knowledge infrastructures is as consequential as controlling borders.