Nanotechnology company Chiral has successfully secured a US$3.8 million (£3m) funding round seeking to revolutionise chipmaking globally beyond the limitations of silicon.
The funding, led by Founderful and HCVC, with grants from ETH Zurich and Venture Kick, aims to propel Chiral’s pioneering efforts in integrating nanomaterials into electronic devices with unparalleled precision and speed.
As the computing industry faces the gradual slowdown of Moore’s Law, which has been the cornerstone of silicon technology advancement, the pursuit of alternative materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides has intensified.
These nanomaterials hold the promise of unlocking unprecedented functionalities in electronic devices, from high-performance transistors to quantum devices.
Chiral’s core competency lies in its development of high-speed, automated robotic machines capable of integrating nanomaterials into devices.
These machines, engineered with cutting-edge robotics and AI technologies, can accurately position micrometre or even nanometre-sized materials on small chips, overcoming the limitations of traditional chemistry-based production methods.
Chiral’s technology traces back to a national research project conducted at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH Zurich, EPFL, and Empa), where the company’s co-founders, Seoho Jung, Natanael Lanz, and Andre Butzerin, were pivotal contributors. Following four years of research and development, Chiral successfully debuted its first prototype machine, heralding a new era in chip fabrication.
The global nanotechnology market is poised for exponential growth, projected to reach $248.56bn (£194bn) by 2030, with nanomaterial-based transistors emerging as the future architecture, as evidenced by industry giants like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Pascal Mathis, founding partner at Founderful, underscored the transformative potential of Chiral’s technology, envisioning a future where nanomaterial-based chips are produced at the scale required for commercialisation, transcending existing bottlenecks.
Alexis Houssou, founding partner at HCVC, emphasised the critical role Chiral plays in propelling the industry towards a groundbreaking post-silicon era, offering unparalleled possibilities for advancement in computing infrastructure globally.
Seoho Jung, co-founder and CEO at Chiral, said: “At Chiral, we are at the forefront of ushering in the next generation of electronic devices. With this funding, we aim to accelerate the development of our next-generation machine, poised to unlock new market opportunities with its versatility and performance. Additionally, we are keen to expand our team to meet the burgeoning demand and customer base.”
