Whereas the Silicon 100 report was being compiled and curated to profile probably the most promising startups within the semiconductor trade in 2025, two distinguished chiplet upstarts had been already taken. First, Qualcomm introduced its acquisition of chiplet interconnect developer Alphawave Semi within the second week of June 2025.
Almost a month later, Tenstorrent snapped Blue Cheetah Analog Design, one other provider of die-to-die interconnect IPs. These two offers spotlight the red-hot nature of the chiplets world and the way this new multi-die know-how panorama is rising regardless of geopolitical headwinds.
On this yr’s Silicon 100 report, there are eight startup corporations related to chiplet design and manufacturing work. Within the chiplet design realm, DreamBig Semiconductor develops chiplet platforms and high-performance accelerator options for 5G, synthetic intelligence (AI), automotive, and information middle markets. Its core know-how features a chiplet hub with high-bandwidth reminiscence (HBM).
Based by Sohail Syed in 2019, the San Jose, California-based chiplet designer is utilizing Samsung Foundry’s SF4X 4-nm course of know-how and is backed by the Samsung Catalyst Fund and the Sutardja household funding.
Eliyan, one other well-known chiplet agency, provides PHY interconnect that permits high-bandwidth, low-latency, and power-efficient communication between chiplets on each silicon and natural substrates. The corporate, co-founded in 2021 by serial entrepreneur Ramin Farjadrad, accomplished the tapeout of its NuLink PHY in a ×64 UCIe package deal module on Samsung Foundry’s SF4X 4-nm manufacturing course of in November 2024.
Determine 1 The die-to-die PHY resolution for chiplet interconnect achieves 64 Gbps/bump. Supply: Eliyan
Whereas design startups are largely engaged in die-to-die interconnect and associated elements, chiplet manufacturing realm appears way more expansive and thrilling. Take AlixLabs, as an illustration, a 2019 startup spun off from Sweden’s Lund College. It focuses on atomic layer etch (ALE) gear to develop a method known as ALE pitch splitting (APS), which permits atomic-scale precision in semiconductor manufacturing at dimensions beneath 20 nm.
Determine 2 The ALE-based options carry out atomic-level processing to cut back the variety of course of steps required to fabricate a chip whereas rising throughput. Supply: AlixLabs
Then there’s Black Semiconductor, creating manufacturing strategies for back-end-of-line use of graphene to create optical chip-to-chip connections. The corporate is at the moment constructing a producing facility at its new headquarters in Aachen, Germany. FabONE is anticipated to be operational in 2026, with pilot manufacturing scheduled to start out in 2027 and full-volume manufacturing by 2029.
Determine 3 FabONE would be the world’s first graphene photonics fab. Supply: Black Semiconductor
Subsequent, Chipletz, a fabless substrate startup, is engaged on chiplet-based packaging. Established in 2016 as an exercise inside AMD after which spun off in 2021, its sensible substrate permits the heterogeneous integration of a number of ICs inside a single package deal. That, in flip, eliminates the necessity for a silicon interposer by offering die-to-die interconnects and high-speed I/O. It additionally helps completely different voltage domains from a single provide, outperforming conventional multichip modules and system-in-package (SIP) options.
Silicon Field is one other semiconductor packaging upstart featured within the Silicon 100 report; it specializes within the manufacturing of multi-die elements based mostly on chiplet structure. It at the moment operates a manufacturing unit and R&D facility in Singapore and has raised $3.5 billion to construct a semiconductor meeting and testing facility in Piedmont, Italy.
Silicon 100 provides a glimpse into the startup ecosystem of 2025 and past, highlighting corporations that work on varied elements of chiplet design and manufacturing. And their potential is inherently intertwined with one other 2025 star: AI and information middle semiconductors. One widespread issue that each chiplets and AI semiconductors share is their affiliation with superior packaging know-how.
Discover out extra about upstarts specializing in chiplet design and manufacturing in “Silicon 100: Startups to Watch in 2025” by importing a replica of the report right here.
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- The Age of Chiplets is Upon Us
- Startup Goals to Enhance Chiplet Packaging
- Chiplets diary: Three anecdotes recount design progress
- Silicon Field to Make investments €3.2B in a Semiconductor Fab in Italy
- Eliyan Breaks Chiplet Reminiscence Wall With Commonplace Packaging
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