European semiconductor companies attracted strong investment in 2025 as governments and investors doubled down on technologies underpinning AI, high-performance computing, next-generation communications, and energy-efficient electronics. Funding flowed into companies developing AI chips, photonics, advanced memory, semiconductor materials, chip cooling, and power electronics, reflecting Europe's ambition to strengthen its position across the semiconductor value chain.
The Netherlands emerged as the year's leading hub by funding value, driven by NXP Semiconductors' €1 billion European Investment Bank loan and major rounds for Axelera AI, EFFECT Photonics, and Eyeo. The UK also recorded strong activity, particularly in compound semiconductors, photonics, and chip design, while Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and France all produced sizeable funding rounds across specialised semiconductor technologies.
Debt financing played a significant role alongside venture capital, particularly for established manufacturers and capital-intensive businesses. At the same time, investors continued to back early-stage deeptech startups, with large seed and Series A rounds supporting innovations in optical interconnects, graphene electronics, chip cooling, satellite communications, and semiconductor manufacturing.
The year's largest transactions underscored Europe's growing focus on building strategic semiconductor capabilities amid rising demand for AI infrastructure and supply chain resilience. From AI accelerators and memory chips to silicon photonics, advanced cooling systems, and power semiconductors, investors continued to support companies developing the hardware technologies expected to power the next generation of computing and communications (for more detailed analyses of the European technology ecosystem, check out Tech.eu’s annual report: European Tech 2025 - The Big Picture).
Here are ten semiconductor companies that raised the most in 2025.
NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands)
Amount raised in 2025: €1B
NXP Semiconductors is a Dutch company that develops semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, mobile and communications markets.
Its portfolio includes microcontrollers, processors, connectivity chips, secure identification technologies, and analogue and power management solutions for applications ranging from connected vehicles to the Internet of Things (IoT). The company works with OEMs and technology providers to support digitalisation, electrification and secure connectivity across multiple industries.
In 2025, NXP Semiconductors secured a €1 billion loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support research, development and innovation across its semiconductor portfolio, including power electronics, microprocessors and microcontrollers, at facilities in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Romania.
Ferroelectric Memory Company (Germany)
Amount raised in 2025: €100M
Ferroelectric Memory Company (FMC) develops non-volatile ferroelectric memory technologies designed to deliver faster, lower-power and more durable memory solutions.
The company commercialises ferroelectric memory IP and semiconductor technologies for AI, edge computing, IoT, automotive and industrial applications. Its technology aims to improve memory performance while reducing energy consumption in next-generation electronic devices.
In 2025, Ferroelectric Memory Company (FMC) raised €100 million to accelerate the commercialisation and global rollout of its DRAM+ and 3D-CACHE+ memory chips and system solutions for AI data centres and edge applications.
Axelera AI (Netherlands)
Amount raised in 2025: €61.6M
Axelera AI builds hardware and software for AI inference at the edge. Its platform combines purpose-built AI accelerator chips with software tools to enable high-performance, energy-efficient computer vision and generative AI workloads across manufacturing, robotics, retail, healthcare and smart cities.
The company focuses on making AI deployment more accessible by delivering high performance with lower power consumption and cost.
Axelera AI raised up to €61.6 million in funding in 2025 to develop Titania, a scalable, high-performance, energy-efficient AI inference chiplet for data centres, high-performance computing, and Europe's DARE supercomputing initiative.
Paragraf (UK)
Amount raised in 2025: $55M
Paragraf is a UK company that produces graphene-based semiconductor materials and electronic devices.
Its portfolio includes graphene Hall-effect sensors, magnetic sensors and advanced materials for electronics, quantum technologies and industrial applications. The company aims to unlock the commercial potential of graphene in next-generation semiconductor and sensing technologies.
Paragraf raised $55 million in a Series C round in 2025 to scale its manufacturing capabilities and increase production capacity, accelerating the mass-market adoption of its graphene-based electronic devices.
Corintis (Switzerland)
Amount raised in 2025: $49M
Corintis focuses on developing microfluidic cooling technologies for high-performance semiconductor devices.
The solutions are designed to integrate directly with chip packages, enhancing thermal management for AI processors, high-performance computing and data centre infrastructure while improving performance and energy efficiency. By tackling one of the industry's key thermal challenges, it aims to enable the next generation of advanced semiconductor systems.
In 2025, Corintis raised $49 million across two rounds to scale its microfluidic chip-cooling technology, expand manufacturing, and accelerate deployment for AI data centres and next-generation semiconductor chips.
Swave (Belgium)
Amount raised in 2025: €33M
Swave is a Belgian company that develops holographic display technology based on semiconductor photonics.
Its Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) platform uses diffractive photonics chips to create true holographic images for applications including spatial computing, augmented reality, virtual reality and digital twins. The technology is designed to deliver more natural three-dimensional visual experiences without the need for complex optical systems.
In 2025, Swave Photonics raised €33 million across two rounds to commercialise its holographic display technology for augmented reality smart glasses and heads-up displays.
GaN Devices (UK)
Amount raised in 2025: £25M
CamGaN Devices designs gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors for energy-efficient power conversion.
Its technology is intended to improve efficiency, reduce power losses and shrink the size of power electronics used in data centres, electric vehicles, consumer electronics and industrial systems. The company's solutions are designed as drop-in replacements for conventional silicon-based power devices.
In 2025, GaN Devices raised £25 million in a Series C round to scale its gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, expand operations internationally, and accelerate the deployment of energy-efficient power devices for industrial, data centre, and automotive applications.
Salience Labs (UK)
Amount raised in 2025: $30M
Salience Labs is a UK company that develops photonic computing technology for AI infrastructure.
Salience Labs designs optical interconnects and photonic systems that improve data movement and energy efficiency in AI accelerators and high-performance computing, helping address bandwidth and power constraints in next-generation data centres. The company focuses on enabling faster and more scalable AI computing through integrated photonics.
In 2025, Salience Labs raised $30 million in a Series A round to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its silicon photonic optical switches for large-scale AI data centre connectivity, enabling higher bandwidth, lower latency, and reduced power consumption.
CamGraPhic (UK)
Amount raised in 2025: €25M
CamGraPhIC develops graphene-based silicon photonics technologies for high-speed optical communications.
These solutions combine graphene with silicon photonic devices to improve data transmission, reduce energy consumption and enable faster optical interconnects for AI, data centres and telecommunications. The company aims to overcome performance limitations of conventional silicon photonics using graphene-based components.
CamGraPhIC raised €25 million in a Series A round in 2025 to scale its graphene photonics technology for AI and data communications.
IQE (UK)
Amount raised in 2025: £18M
IQE is a supplier of advanced semiconductor epitaxial wafers used in compound semiconductor devices.
Its materials support applications across wireless communications, photonics, power electronics, quantum technologies and advanced sensing, supplying semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The company specialises in engineered wafer technologies that enable high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.
In 2025, IQE raised £18 million through convertible loan notes to provide short-term liquidity and working capital while completing its strategic review.
Would you like to write the first comment?
Login to post comments