Semiconductor today

Soctera of Ithaca, NY USA has closed a $4m in seed funding round backed by Anorak Ventures and Multiball Capital, with additional participation from 9Yards Capital, Mana Ventures, and Red Bear Ventures. The firm will use the funding to develop its thermally optimized III-nitride millimeter-wave power amplifiers...

The South Wales-based compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected Ltd has announced the successful applicants to the fourth and final funding call of its £1m Supply Chain Development Programme, delivered in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR). The program provides grants of up to £100,000 to help strengthen the compound semiconductor supply chain in South Wales by supporting capability and capacity development, increasing productivity, competitiveness and creating new commercial opportunities...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Renesas Electronics Corp of Tokyo, Japan in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas...

The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) will lead a delegation of UK semiconductor companies and organizations to SEMICON Taiwan 2026 at TaiNEX in Taipei (2–4 September), reinforcing its role as the gateway to the UK semiconductor ecosystem and strengthening strategic partnerships between the UK and Taiwan...

For first-half 2026, deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany has reported revenue of €174.5m, down 30% on first-half 2025’s €249.9m...

Finland-based telecom equipment maker Nokia Corp says that, as part of its long-term plans for optical component manufacturing capacity expansion, it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Chandler Semiconductor Fabrication campus in Arizona of NXP Semiconductors N.V. of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Opened in September 2020, the fab has been focused on RF gallium nitride (GaN), but was scheduled to be closed by NXP in 2027...

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA (a dual-use defense & security integrated platform company) says that the Italian Government has authorized the proposed acquisition by NUBURU Defense LLC of a 70% controlling interest in Tekne S.p.A. under Italy’s Golden Power framework...

Uviquity of Raleigh, NC, USA – a venture-backed start-up founded in 2022 that is pioneering integrated photonics, developing photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on a proprietary aluminium nitride (AlN) platform for quantum and ultraviolet applications – says that Dr Vincent D. (Chuck) Mattera Jr, founder & CEO of Avalanche Thinking Inc and former chair & CEO of Coherent Corp, has joined it as a strategic advisor as it scales its AlN photonics platform and accelerates commercialization...

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — and AI power solutions provider LITEON Technology Corp of Hsinchu, Taiwan have announced a strategic partnership and the qualification of Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide technology for deployment within LITEON’s 800VDC power sidecar and compute rack PSU platforms. These platforms are designed to support next-generation AI data centers for leading hyperscale customers, with the potential for broader adoption across multiple cloud service provider (CSP) platforms and future deployments...

Epitaxial deposition and process equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview, NY, USA says that a global leader in optical and photonic technologies has selected its LUMINA+ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system to fabricate indium phosphide (InP) lasers for innovative communication solutions in the datacom industry. The firm adds that its LUMINA+ system has now been adopted across all major applications in the arsenide and phosphide (As/P) epitaxial space, including the fast-growing InP laser market...

For its fiscal third-quarter 2026 (ended 3 July), Skyworks Solutions Inc of Irvine, CA, USA (which manufactures analog and mixed-signal semiconductors) has reported revenue of $934.8m, down 1% on $943.7m last quarter and 3.1% on $965m a year ago, but above the mid-point of the $900–950m guidance range...

Power Integrations Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion) says that PowiGaN gallium nitride (GaN) technology is now rated at up to 2200V, far exceeding the voltage capabilities of all other commercially available GaN technologies, it is claimed. This positions PowiGaN as the leading technology solution for high-voltage data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy and HVDC infrastructure as they leverage higher-voltage bus architectures in search of greater power density, the firm adds...

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – has emphasized its continued commitment to providing durable, reliable solar solutions to the space market, and expanded on its entry into the unmanned systems market as global demand rapidly grows. This objective underscores its strategy of expanding the spectrum of commercial opportunities for its thin-film offerings while maintaining its paramount focus on space applications...

Vector Photonics Ltd of the West of Scotland Science Park — which was spun off from the University of Glasgow in 2020, and is pioneering the use of photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSEL) in secure communications — is heading to Taiwan as part of Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GPIB)...

Optoelectronic and power management firm LITEON Technology of Hsinchu, Taiwan has announced a strategic investment in DenseLight Photonics — an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) of indium phosphide (InP) optical communication components through its Singapore-based operating subsidiary — with a total transaction value of US$34.3m. LITEON will hold about 21% equity ownership in DenseLight and secure one seat on the board...

Silanna of Pinkenba, Brisbane, Australia has unified its operating companies Silanna UV – which provides far-UVC light sources for water quality sensors, gas sensors, disinfection, and HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) applications – and Silanna Semiconductor of San Diego, CA, USA – which makes analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and specialty analog chips - under the single corporate identity of Silanna...

Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA — which provides solutions for testing, burning-in and stabilizing semiconductor devices in wafer-level, singulated die, and packaged-part form — has received a follow-on production order from its lead silicon photonics wafer-level burn-in (WLBI) customer for a fully automated FOX-XP multi-wafer production burn-in system, to ship in first-half 2027 to support the continued expansion of its manufacturing capacity for next-generation silicon photonic integrated circuits...

For second-quarter 2026, AXT Inc of Fremont, CA, USA — which makes gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge) substrates and raw materials at plants in China — has reported record revenue of $47.6m (up 77% on $26.9m last quarter and 164% on $18m a year ago), greatly exceeding the expected $34m...

Micro-LED material technology company Kubos Semiconductors Ltd (which was spun out of the UK’s University of Cambridge in 2017, and is now based in the Sbarc building at Cardiff University in South Wales) has raised over $2.1m to accelerate development of its cubic-phase gallium nitride (GaN) technology. This brings total funding to over $8m and will enable Kubos to enter the micro-LED market within three years through IP licensing...

Artificial intelligence (AI) interconnect technology company Palomino Laboratories Inc of Goleta, CA, USA has closed its acquisition of Vega Links Inc, creating a next-generation AI interconnect company...