The Aachen one semiconductor-Start-up Black Semiconductor receives a large financial injection from the German state. The company, which wants to accelerate the data transmission of chips in an innovative process and use carbon (graphene) for this purpose, will receive a funding decision of 228.7 million euros, as the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs and Black Semiconductor announced on Wednesday. A good two thirds come from the federal government and almost a third from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
In addition, venture capital investors such as: Porsche Ventures provides financing, which will reportedly increase the company’s equity by 25.7 million euros. The start-up is considered a German hope in the semiconductor industry. It currently only has 30 employees, in 2026 there should be 120 and in 2031 significantly more.
The funding will flow gradually over seven years to the company, which was founded in 2020 by the brothers Daniel Schall and Sebastian Schall. “We now have the necessary capital resources to implement our ideas and make the transition from research to production,” said company boss Daniel Schall. Black Semiconductor does not produce chips – i.e. electronic circuits – but rather connections based on light, known as photonics. Chips are networked that are used, for example, in data centers and are important for them artificial intelligence
(AI), for autonomous driving and other technologies that are becoming increasingly important in the digital age.
Much faster data transfer
Black Semiconductor – “Black Semi” for short – applies a graphene layer to semiconductor wafers manufactured by another company and equips them with photonic connections. The data transfer between the chips is significantly accelerated – according to co-founder Daniel Schall, 1000 times more chips could be linked than in usual silicon technology. “We network the chips in such a way that the boundaries between them become blurred,” says the electrical engineer.
“Graphene is a fantastic material; it is particularly fast and energy-efficient.” The traditional silicon chip industry, on the other hand, is reaching its technological and economic limits. “Our innovation paves the way for the semiconductor industry and aims for faster, more powerful, more cost-effective and more energy-efficient computing power.”
It will still take years until it is ready for the market
The company wants to build a pilot plant and make it functional by 2026, after which it will spend three years developing the necessary processes and then investing another two years in preparations for mass production. “In 2031 we will be in volume – before that you can do small series and demonstrators.” Black Semiconductor currently only has a small facility where tests take place and only a few wafers are completed. The company wants to reach the next level with the pilot plant before the commercial breakthrough is achieved with mass production in 2031 – only then will the company make significant sales.
Support from politics
Politicians think highly of the start-up. “The global market for the future development of chips is highly competitive and particularly lucrative,” explained NRW State Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (46, Green Party). “We are happy to support Black Semiconductor in further developing a groundbreaking technology and bringing it to market maturity.” Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (54, Green) pointed out in the statement that even faster chips are particularly essential for artificial intelligence applications and Black Semiconductor’s project is promising. “The new type of data transmission will make chips more powerful and therefore more energy efficient.”
State-of-the-art chips are the prerequisite for the use of artificial intelligence, autonomously controlled vehicles and other technologies that are becoming increasingly important. Germany supports the domestic semiconductor industry so that the business location remains competitive. This is how the US manufacturer, among others Intel at its new chip factory in Magdeburg with around ten billion euros in funding; production is scheduled to start there in 2027. The Aachen project is a bit smaller, but in the long term the company should have a strong say in the global chip market.