AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Smart Photonics, a Dutch company targeting the photonic computer chip market, said on Wednesday it had received 100 million euros ($110 million) in debt financing.
The money includes 60 million euros from a Dutch government fund and 40 million from industry players, including chip equipment giant ASML and chipmaker NXP, both based in the Netherlands. Down. VDL Groep, an ASML provider, also participated.
Photonic chips use particles of light to complete circuits and transmit information, rather than the electrons used in computer chips and electronics.
“With this new funding round, SMART Photonics will be able to strengthen its role as the leading next-generation chipmaker in a growing and resilient European photonics value chain,” he said in a statement.
Smart Photonics seeks to become a foundry or contract manufacturer of photonics chips for companies that design but do not manufacture such chips.
($1 = 0.9066 euros)
(Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Louise Heavens)