Black Semiconductor receives 254.4 million euros in funding to develop new semiconductor technology

Black Semiconductor is expanding production capacity in Aachen and plans to create 90 new jobs by 2026. The company's graphene chip technology significantly increases the efficiency and performance of future chips

Aachen, June 12, 2024 - Black Semiconductor, a chip technology startup, has received €254.4 million in funding. These funds will be used to develop and produce a new generation of graphene-based chips. The funding strengthens the European position in the semiconductor industry.

Public funding and private investment

The company has received public funding of 228.7 million euros over seven years. This funding comes from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition, Black Semiconductor has received 25.7 million euros in equity capital. These investments are led by Porsche Ventures and Project A Ventures. Other investors include Scania Growth, Capnamic, Tech Vision Fonds and NRW.BANK. Existing investors such as Vsquared Ventures, Cambium Capital and Hermann Hauser's Onsight Ventures are also still involved.

Development and production in Aachen

The investment enables us to accelerate our product development and the construction of a pilot production facility for 300 mm semiconductor wafers. Traditional chip technology is reaching its technological and economic limits

Dr. Daniel Schall, co-founder and CEO of Black Semiconductor

The funding will enable Black Semiconductor to advance a new generation of chip technology from research to mass production by 2031. Founded in 2020 by Dr. Daniel Schall and Sebastian Schall, the company uses graphene to improve the performance and efficiency of chips. Graphene is an innovative material that accelerates data communication between chips and increases energy efficiency. This technology thus enables transformative applications in various areas such as artificial intelligence, data centers and autonomous driving.

Expansion of production capacities

Black Semiconductor plans to use the new capital to build up production capacity in Aachen. A production facility for a pilot line is to be inaugurated by 2026. This plant will enable the integration of graphene into chip production. This will create 90 new high-tech jobs, increasing the total number of employees from 30 to 120.

Our investment in Black Semiconductor together with Project A offers an outstanding opportunity to seamlessly integrate photonics technology into conventional chips for various industries and use cases, including future AI applications.

Patrick Huke, Partner and Head of Porsche Ventures

Europe's technological sovereignty

The new chip generation from Black Semiconductor overcomes the previous limits of chip connectivity. It increases computing power and efficiency and has the potential to transform various industries. The technology facilitates optical chip-to-chip connections, allowing multiple chips to act as one. This innovation opens up transformative applications in areas such as data centers, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.

Support from government programs

The public funding is part of the IPCEI ME/CT program (Important Projects of Common European Interest Microelectronics and Communication Technology). This program supports research, innovation and the industrial application of microelectronics and communication technologies in Europe. 70% of the funding comes from the German government and 30% from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Europe needs to focus on key technologies to ensure the continent's autonomy and economic stability amid geopolitical challenges and supply chain issues. The semiconductor industry is a much neglected sector.

Uwe Horstmann, Co-Founder and General Partner of Project A

The new funding will enable Black Semiconductor to accelerate its research and development initiatives and build production capacity in Aachen. This is an important step towards the production of high-quality graphene chips in Europe. The funding and investment will strengthen the European semiconductor value chain and promote Europe's technological sovereignty.