Venture capitalists highlight promising semiconductor startups that are set to make waves in the industry.
In the fast-paced world of semiconductor technology, startups have had a remarkable year in 2023. With countries increasingly focused on securing their tech sovereignty, there has been a surge in funding for chip companies. Despite a decline in total capital raised across European tech, funding in the semiconductor sector reached a record high of $1.4 billion, according to Dealroom. This article will highlight several smaller startups that are poised for success in the semiconductor industry in 2024, as identified by venture capitalists from Atmos Ventures, Seraphim Space, Omnes Capital, FORWARD.one, and Amadeus APEX Technology Fund.
FaradaIC – Germany
FaradaIC, a German startup, is developing innovative materials and techniques to enable miniaturized gas-sensing chips. With growing concerns over climate change, there is increasing demand for gas-sensing chip applications in areas such as health, energy, and foodtech.
Innatera – The Netherlands
Innatera, a spin-off from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, is focused on developing neuromorphic processors based on the structures of biological brains. These processors have applications in true presence detection, voice recognition, and autonomous vehicles.
Skycore Semiconductors – Denmark
Skycore Semiconductors, based in Denmark, specializes in building high-voltage integrated circuits for various applications, from consumer electronics to power grids. As electrification and digitization continue to advance, there is a growing need for chips that can handle higher voltages while maintaining top performance and design flexibility.
Mignon – UK
Mignon, a UK startup, has developed an advanced AI accelerator architecture design technology that offers significant improvements in on-chip inference, with up to 10,000 times better performance. Its propositional logic-based design requires fewer resources, enabling intelligent compute on energy-efficient devices with limited internet coverage.
Black Semiconductor – Germany
Black Semiconductor, a German startup, is taking photonic-based microchip technology out of research labs and into industrial, mass-producible applications. By using light instead of electricity to transfer data, photonic interfaces on chips can process information 100 to 1,000 times faster than standard chips. This technology is crucial for the rapidly growing demand for information and data processing in AI-based systems and data centers.
HIDRA – UK
HIDRA, a UK startup, is spinning out from the UK’s National Physical Laboratory with its semiconductor wafer imaging technology. HIDRA’s technology enables rapid capture of high-resolution images, improving semiconductor yield. This means more chips can be produced on a single wafer, maximizing efficiency. The startup has received support from ChipStart UK, a government-funded incubator program for semiconductor advancements.
Akhetonics – Germany
Akhetonics, a German startup, is building a photonic general-purpose CPU/GPU. This technology aims to overcome the limitations of electronic devices by designing highly parallel photonic computers that are energy-efficient. These processors have the potential to revolutionize computing power and performance.
LIGENTEC – Switzerland
LIGENTEC, based in Switzerland, manufactures photonic integrated circuits (PIC) used in quantum tech, ground-to-space communications, and biosensors. These circuits offer advantages such as small carbon footprints, high scalability, low cost, high performance and power efficiency, and low heat generation.
Quobly – France
Quobly, a French startup, is working on quantum computing using silicon spin qubit processors. These processors create customizable quantum computing systems that can be applied to a wide range of applications. The ability to operate at higher temperatures simplifies and reduces the cost of the required cooling technology.
Salience Labs – UK
Salience Labs, a UK startup, is developing a multi-chip processor that combines photonics with traditional microelectronics to transmit data. This combination makes Salience Labs’ chips compatible with current systems while addressing the growing demands of AI models.
SEMRON – Germany
SEMRON, a German startup, focuses on building AI chips for applications such as autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing, healthcare monitoring, and smart home devices. The startup was part of Intel Ignite’s accelerator program, which supports semiconductor advancements.
GEMESYS – Germany
GEMESYS chips imitate the information-processing mechanisms of the human brain, known as neuromorphic computing. This technology enables AI hardware companies to distribute chips that train neural networks more efficiently, reducing costs and increasing performance. The small size of GEMESYS chips allows for embedding into nearly every device.
Synthara – Switzerland
Synthara, based in Switzerland, helps chip makers enhance their microcontroller (MCU) platforms. The startup’s computational memory technology makes MCUs 50 times more efficient, compatible with existing chip architectures and software applications. This enables developers to experiment freely with old and new neural network and signal processing algorithms.
Conclusion:
As the semiconductor industry continues to evolve, these promising startups are well-positioned to make significant contributions in 2024. From gas-sensing chips to photonic-based microchips, these companies are pushing the boundaries of technology and driving innovation in various sectors. With the backing of venture capitalists and their unique offerings, they have the potential to shape the future of the semiconductor industry.
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