Dresden-based semiconductor pioneer FMC said it has raised €100 million “to set new standards in memory chips.”
The oversubscribed financing round consists of €77 million in Series C equity capital, led by HV Capital and DTCF, and €23 million in public funding, marking one of the largest capital rounds in the European semiconductor sector.
“The €77 million in equity comes from FMC’s oversubscribed Series C financing round, which is backed by prominent existing and new investors and ranks among the largest raise of its kind in the semiconductor industry,” said FMC.
“An additional €23 million has been sourced through public funds, including contributions from the IPCEI ME/CT program and the European Innovation Council (EIC).
“The equity round is led by HV Capital and the DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF), along with Vsquared Ventures. Returning investors include eCAPITAL, Bosch Ventures, Air Liquide Venture Capital, M Ventures (Merck), and Verve Ventures.
“The fresh funding will accelerate the commercialization of the company’s DRAM+ and 3D CHACHE+ memory chips and system solutions and expand its global presence.
“FMC’s technology builds on its superior energy efficiency and will facilitate the global ramp-up of AI data centers and AI edge applications, setting a new industry standard in the €100+ billion memory chip market.”
FMC CEO said: “We are working on the next generation of memory chips and system solutions that are not only more sustainable and energy efficient, but also faster and less expensive than the current industry standard.
“While bandwidth has so far been the dominant metric of AI compute, energy efficiency is now becoming the key factor for the next generation of AI. Memory chips are the main bottleneck in the AI stack. FMC’s DRAM+ and 3D CACHE+ technology addresses precisely this issue: Faster and more energy efficient than established products.
“This lays the foundation for scaling up AI data centres and AI edge applications. Securing an equity financing of this magnitude emphasizes the significance of our technology, and we are grateful to have earned the trust of leading deep-tech investors for our vision.”
Fabian Gruner, Partner at HV Capital, said: “FMC’s highly innovative memory chip technology is unique and has the potential redefine global industry standards. We are proud to back its commercialization through our commitment.”
Torsten Löffler, Investment Director at the DTCF, said: “By tackling the growing energy needs of AI infrastructure, FMC’s memory technology enables more efficient computing. We are convinced by its technological excellence made in Germany and its strategic role in strengthening Europe’s semiconductor sovereignty.”
Paul-Josef Patt, Managing Partner at eCAPITAL, said: “From day one, we have been supporting FMC on its impressive growth journey. Pilot results confirm design wins with leading OEMs, and the roadmap for production and commercialization is in place. FMC demonstrates that deep tech from Europe can deliver and has the potential to take the lead in the memory chips of the future.”