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Semiconductor Weekly - Business | Investing | Technology
Happy July 4th weekend! It’s been a quiet week for chip startups but funding and deals are quietly moving below the surface. Let's dive into this week's semiconductor investing news.
💸Vaire Computing raised $4.5 million seed round
🦾NATO Innovation Fund backs semiconductor startups
Vaire Computing raised $4.5 million, bringing the concept of Reverse Computing into reality
(image credit: Vaire Computing)
Reverse Computing! Vaire Computing raised $4 million in a Seed round, bringing its total funding to $4.5 million.
The funding round was led by 7percent Ventures and Jude Gomila, co-founder of Heyzap
Other participants included Seedcamp, Clim8, and several angel investors.
Vaire was selected for as a Intel Ignite's Spring 2024 UK Cohort
Vaire Computing was founded in 2021 by serial entrepreneur Rodolfo Rosini and University of Cambridge researcher Hannah Earley.
The company aims to create silicon chips that consume minimal energy and generate virtually no heat.
By leveraging reversible computing principles, Vaire seeks to address the growing energy consumption and heat generation challenges faced by the AI and high-performance computing.
Reversible computing is a groundbreaking concept that could potentially overcome the limitations of Moore's Law.
Traditional computing dissipates energy as heat during calculations, leading to increased power consumption and thermal management challenges.
By reusing energy for work instead of dissipating it as heat, reversible computing could unlock the next frontier of chip density concentration, potentially extending Moore's Law for decades.
Rodolfo Sosini “We need to change which logic gates microprocessors use, as they all need to be reversible, i.e., provide a one-to-one mapping between input bits and output bits. That’s why reversible computing requires rebuilding large parts of the hardware and software stack”
The company aims to move from prototype to production, scaling their technology for integration into various computing systems.
Their next steps include expanding their engineering team, refining their chip designs, and engaging with potential industry partners to bring their energy-efficient computing solutions to market.
The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) backs two semiconductor startups
As the world's first multi-sovereign venture capital fund, The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) has made eight investments so far across direct investments in startups and investments in venture capital funds
NIF has backed five startups for its first batch including two semiconductor startups - Fractile & Space Forge
Fractile
Develops transformative AI computing technology to enhance neural networks' speed, efficiency, and sustainability.Space Forge
Utilizes the space environment to manufacture advanced semiconductor materials, enhancing telecommunications, aerospace, and quantum technologies.ARX Robotics
Manufactures scalable robotic systems for defense, commercial, and humanitarian applications to future-proof armed forces.iCOMAT
Provides advanced composite manufacturing for aerospace and automotive sectors.Isar Aerospace
Launches small and medium satellites to offer flexible, cost-efficient access to space for various organizations.
“Investing in deep-tech requires time and skills but brings tremendous opportunities.”
NIF deploys more than €1 billion in deep tech investments, backed by 24 NATO Allies.
The fund operates independently, with NATO nations supporting its portfolio's success and helping provide deep tech entrepreneurs access to both commercial and government markets
🚀 Funding & Deal
Kvantify, a Danish start-up, has raised €10 million in seed funding to advance quantum computing applications, particularly in life sciences. (Link)
Israeli start-up CogniFiber has secured $6 million in a funding round led by Chartered Group and Eastern Epic Capital to develop its innovative photonic computing technology. (Link)
ON Semiconductor has acquired SWIR Vision Systems, a company specializing in infrared imaging technology, to enhance its imaging solutions portfolio. (Link)
Renesas and Altium have received clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States for their proposed merger. (Link)
GlobalFoundries has acquired the Power GaN IP portfolio from Tagore Technology, aimed at enhancing power solutions for automotive, IoT, and AI datacenter applications. (Link)
Altair is set to acquire Metrics Design Automation, a Canadian company that provides simulation as a service to expand its simulation and AI-driven design capabilities. (Link)
🧿 Industry on the Move
TSMC's expansion in AI and 2nm technology set to boost future growth. (Link)
Samsung, ASML to build joint research plant in Hwaseong. (Link)
The global semiconductor market is projected to grow by $112.8 billion between 2024 and 2028, driven by increasing demand across various sectors. (Link)
Insights from SMC Korea 2024 emphasize the critical role of semiconductor materials in driving industry growth and innovation. (Link)
A significant increase in demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) with inventory levels expected to stabilize by the second quarter of 2024 (Link)
Google's 2024 Environmental Report reveals a 13% year-over-year increase in greenhouse gas emissions largely due to higher data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions. (Link)
UC Santa Cruz demonstrates lower energy large language model (LLM) without matrix multiplication. (Link)
✈️ Across the Globe
🌎 North America
The U.S. government highlights the robust collaboration facilitated by the Global Semiconductor Network, strengthening ties among international semiconductor partners. (Link)
The Canadian government is investing $240 million to support the manufacturing and commercialization of semiconductors. (Link)
The University of Texas System announces initiatives to position Texas as a global leader in semiconductor innovation and research. (Link)
Rochester Institute of Technology receives significant funding for semiconductor research. (Link)
Purdue University has entered an agreement with the Dominican Republic to foster growth in the semiconductor sector. (Link)
University at Buffalo recognized as a key tech hub for semiconductor innovation. (Link)
🌏 Asia
🌏 Europe & EMEA
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are intensifying their efforts to become leaders in semiconductor chips and AI technology. (Link)
🗼 In-Depth & Insights
“Transformer-based inference is already in high demand, yet it is still too slow and expensive. There’s an appetite for someone other than Nvidia to solve this problem. The substantial funding secured and the caliber of talent joining Etched strongly suggest that their initial design simulations met or exceeded expectations..”
“With the advent of TSMC and its Taiwanese competitor UMC, some startup founder could have a great idea for a new chip, like a new graphics card for gaming, but they didn't need hundreds of millions of dollars. This is exactly what happened with Nvidia. It designed semiconductors in America, but TSMC makes them.”9
“Taking out most of the leading-edge manufacturing and supply chain would leave the Chinese semiconductor industry in the sweet spot, ready to serve the world. As the Chinese are experts in value chains, they are not likely to sell their semiconductors directly to the West, but they will be more than happy to sell them wrapped in products.”
🎙️ Echo Chamber
“The moment conflict starts in the Taiwan Strait, you have to assume that TSMC shuts down very, very quickly regardless of what any of the players decide to do.” - Chris Miller, the author of ‘Chip War’ (Link)
“We’ve just been asleep at the switch on this issue for a number of decades. We coasted for a while, and now we’re kind of playing catch up.” - Sujai Shivakumar, Director at Renewing American Innovation Project (Link)
📈 Chart of the Week
May 2024 global semiconductor sales were $49.1 billion, an increase of 19.3% compared to May 2023. Year-to-year sales in May increased by the largest percentage since April 2022. (Link)
