Munich-based semiconductor startup Semron has raised €7.3 million ($7.9 million) in seed funding for its groundbreaking 3D AI chip technology that aims to transform semiconductors for smart devices. Led by Join Capital, the round saw participation from SquareOne, OTB Ventures, Hermann Hauser’s Onsight Ventures and existing investors.
Founded by Kai-Uwe Demasius and Aron Kirschen, graduates from Dresden University of Technology, Semron is developing proprietary “memcapacitor” chips that use electric fields instead of electronic currents to perform calculations. This novel approach enables unprecedented energy efficiency along with the ability to stack hundreds of layers of computing capacity onto a single chip.
Semron has already demonstrated energy efficiency exceeding 3,500 TOPS/watt for AI workloads in internal testing, 35 to 300 times better than existing techniques per the company.
The potential impact is enormous. Today's chips struggle with the growing demands of AI processing, facing challenges in cost, size, energy use and heat dissipation. This hinders advanced AI applications from running locally on smart devices like phones or VR headsets.
Semron's breakthrough could change the equation, allowing localized AI while solving multiple pain points holding the semiconductor industry back.
The fresh capital will fuel Semron’s hardware and software development as it aims to quadruple headcount this year. With prototypes demonstrating viability, the startup now seeks to tackle the formidable obstacles in manufacturing and commercialization faced by any novel chip architecture.
Yet the vast market potential and mounting investment interest shows the promise of revolutionizing semiconductors for an AI-centric future. For a European chip industry playing catch up to US and Asian giants, Semron represents an opportunity for both technical leadership and strategic autonomy in a critical domain.