The government has unveiled the first 12 members of its chip design incubator ChipStart, as part of the National Semiconductor Strategy.
Its £1.3m two-year ChipStart programme will be delivered by accelerator programme SiliconCatalyst.UK. There will be two consecutive cohorts, with the programme ending in March 2025.
Each of the semiconductor startups joining the incubator will be supported by Silicon Catalyst’s design tools, mentorship and investment networking.
Sean Redmond, CEO of SiliconCatalyst.UK, said: “The first group of 12 UK semiconductor startups to enter ChipStart UK incubator have been selected from 27 applications following two rounds of intensive panel interviews made up of semiconductor startup experts from the UK and Silicon Valley.
“Over the next 9 months we will shape and mould these outstanding new innovative companies into the next generation of semiconductor leaders.”
The selected startups are Blueshift Memory, Fincheto, HIDRA Vision, HyperCIM, Mignon, MintNeuro, Quinas, RED Semiconductors, SECQAI, Singular Photonics, Vaire and Wave Photonics.
Newcastle-based Mignon is working on an AI coprocessor and featured in UKTN’s university spinouts guide.
A semiconductor strategy was outlined by the UK government in May, announcing plans to spend £1bn in the next decade on the sector.
However, the UK tech industry told UKTN it was “disappointing” compared to the proposals by other countries.
Minister for Technology Paul Scully said: “Whether they’re innovating how we support patients with Parkinson’s or are on the cusp of supercharging how AI is used, these firms are the brightest sparks in the UK’s thriving semiconductor industry.”
The UK’s most renowned chip designer is Cambridge-based Arm, which recently underwent a New York IPO at a valuation of £43.6bn.
This was followed by Imagination Technologies, another chip designer which registered to list in New York, potentially following in Arm’s footsteps.