Microsoft-backed Lace raises $40 million for cutting-edge chipmaking machinery.
Norway’s Lace Raises $40 Million to Disrupt Chipmaking
with Helium Beam Technology
Norway-based semiconductor equipment startup Lace has
secured $40 million in a new funding round to advance its breakthrough chip
manufacturing technology, the company announced on Monday.
The startup, backed by Microsoft, is working on an
alternative to traditional lithography methods—an innovation that could
significantly reshape how next-generation chips are designed and produced.
Challenging Traditional Lithography
Today’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturers, including
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Intel, rely on light-based
lithography to etch microscopic circuits onto silicon wafers.
This process is largely dominated by ASML, whose extreme
ultraviolet (EUV) machines use light beams measuring around 13.5 nanometers to
create intricate chip designs.
A New Approach: Helium Atom Beam
Lace is taking a radically different route. Instead of
light, the company has developed a lithography technique that uses a helium
atom beam.
According to CEO Bodil Holst, this method could enable chip
features that are up to 10 times smaller than current capabilities.
The beam used in Lace’s system is roughly 0.1 nanometers
wide—close to the scale of a single hydrogen atom—allowing for extremely
precise patterning at near-atomic levels.
Experts believe such precision could unlock major
improvements in semiconductor performance. Smaller transistors—the core
components of chips—would allow manufacturers to significantly boost computing
power, especially for artificial intelligence applications.
John Petersen from Imec noted that this technology could
enable feature sizes previously considered “almost unimaginable.”
Backing and Future Plans
The Series A funding round was led by Atomico, with
participation from M12, Linse Capital, Spanish Society for Technological
Transformation, and Nysnø Climate Investments.
While Lace has not disclosed its valuation, it has already
developed prototype systems and is targeting deployment of a test tool in a
pilot semiconductor fabrication facility by 2029.
The company also recently showcased its research at a major
lithography conference earlier this year, signaling growing interest in
next-generation chipmaking technologies.
Why It Matters
As demand for high-performance computing and AI chips
accelerates, the semiconductor industry is under pressure to push beyond the
limits of existing manufacturing techniques.
If successful, Lace’s helium-based lithography could extend
the current technology roadmap and offer an entirely new pathway for producing
smaller, faster, and more efficient chips.
