Nexstrom bags $12M to help chipmakers replace silicon with more efficient semiconductor wafers

Nexstrom, a Singapore-based startup, has secured $12 million in seed funding to revolutionize the chipmaking industry through its proprietary wafer-scale platform for 2D semiconductor materials. The funding round was led by Xora Innovation, with SEEDS and Foothill Ventures participating. This brings Nexstrom's total funding to $15 million so far. The startup aims to become the first company to mass-produce 12-inch 2D semiconductor wafers for advanced computer chips, replacing traditional silicon.

The demand for more powerful and energy-efficient chips, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence, has highlighted the limitations of silicon. Smaller transistor sizes lead to power loss and inefficiency. Transition metal dichalcogenide materials offer a promising alternative, as they enable more efficient computing with reduced energy loss and eliminate interface flaws.

However, manufacturing these materials at commercial scale has been a significant challenge. Nexstrom's platform integrates chemical vapor deposition hardware with novel process technology to grow 12-inch single-crystal 2D wafers directly into existing foundry workflows. This innovation paves the way for the post-silicon era of computing, as major semiconductor firms recognize the potential of 2D materials but await a scalable production solution.