NanoBridge Semiconductor, Inc. Secures Series a Financing From Japan Industrial Partners and NEC for Launching Full-Scale Business

NanoBridge Semiconductor, Inc., which designs and manufactures advanced circuits and conducts IP-licensing sales using NanoBridge(1), a resistance-change switching technology for semiconductors, announced that it has issued series A preferred stock to Japan Industrial Partners, Inc., NEC Corporation, and other companies to raise approximately 130 million yen.

NBS is a venture company established by NEC researchers in September 2019. NanoBridge is a technology to control the creation or destruction of nanometer sized metal bridges in a solid electrolyte through the application of voltage, thereby realizing on and off-switch status. It is attracting attention as an ideal technology for FPGA(2) and memories that can repeatedly rewrite circuits. This is because NanoBridge consumes less power, as it does not require power to maintain an on or off status, and is highly resistant to both radiation and extreme temperatures.

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NEC has an established history of promoting the commercialization of NanoBridge, and decided to transfer NanoBridge-related intellectual property to NBS and conduct a spin-off in order to further drive the growth of this business.

Through this fundraising, NBS will demonstrate its technologies in areas where radiation resistance is essential, such as aerospace and communications infrastructure. At the same time, NBS will develop a broad range of NanoBridge businesses for domestic and international manufacturers, such as IoT device and automobile manufacturers, while aiming to achieve sales of 5 billion yen in 2025.

“The discovery of the atomic switch, based on the movement of atoms rather than electrons, was a major breakthrough in basic science,” said Richard E. Dyck, Director, Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. “The team at NanoBridge, after two decades of skilled and focused engineering, has transformed this breakthrough into the realm of practical application. It is exciting to see the NanoBridge atomic switch can now be manufactured economically and in volume, on standard production equipment.”

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“Under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020, NEC is strengthening its business development capabilities and commercializing competitive technologies,” said Osamu Fujikawa, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. “We have invested in NBS to support the enthusiasm of our researchers for taking on new challenges and driving the advancement of outstanding NEC technologies into the worldwide marketplace.”

(1) NanoBridge(R) is a resistance-change type switch developed by NEC together with the National Institute for Materials Science. By controlling the creation or destruction of bridges formed by metal atoms in a solid electrolyte through the application of voltage, its resistance changes significantly, functioning as a wiring switch. The switch’s resistance value is maintained even when the power supply is turned off, giving it non-volatility. Circuit non-volatility is an effective way to achieve reduced power consumption in ICT devices and systems. NanoBridge(R) is a registered trademark of NEC.
(2) Field Programmable Gate Array. Logic LSI design technology for rewritable field programmable gate arrays.

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