Lace raises $40 million to redefine chipmaking with helium tech
Lace, a Bergen-based startup, just raised $40 million in Series A funding led by Atomico, with backing from Microsoft's M12 and others.
Helium tech could revolutionize AI processor design
Lace is shaking up chipmaking with its helium atom beam lithography, a tech that uses a superfine 0.1-nanometer beam (way smaller than the industry standard) to build chips at atomic detail.
CEO Bodil Holst says this could help create AI processors that go beyond today's limits.
Imec's John Petersen also highlighted how this tech allows for unprecedented scaling of transistors.
Prototype systems in the works, aiming for 2029 launch
Lace has developed prototype systems and presented at a major lithography summit in February 2026.
They aim to have a test tool in a pilot chip fabrication plant, aiming to have it ready around 2029, pushing hard to shape the future of AI hardware.