BEAM Technologies Raises 220 Million Yen for Space Semiconductor Manufacturing
The funding marks a concrete step toward commercializing space-based semiconductor manufacturing, an area previously limited to national projects, with backing from experienced space industry figures.
Reporting from 1 sources: ASCII.jp.
BEAM Technologies, a RIKEN venture, has completed a 220 million yen seed round from investors in space, finance, and manufacturing. The company will use the funds to build a semiconductor manufacturing platform in microgravity, targeting defect-free crystal growth that ground-based processes cannot achieve. The round includes UntroD Capital Japan, DG Daiwa Ventures, Shinnichi Kogyo, and individuals like former ispace COO Takahiro Nakamura. BEAM's team has produced world-class compound semiconductor devices on the ground.
Ground-based semiconductor crystal growth suffers from gravity-induced defects like buoyancy convection and sedimentation, limiting performance. BEAM Technologies aims to overcome this by growing crystals in microgravity, where these issues are suppressed. The company, founded by RIKEN researchers, has already produced world-class compound semiconductor devices on Earth. With 220 million yen in seed funding from investors including former ispace COO Takahiro Nakamura, BEAM will develop a manufacturing platform for space. The investors see potential in the shift from 'transporting things to space' to 'creating value in space.'
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.