Lace Lithography, a Norway-based developer of BEUV atom lithography systems, has raised $40M (€34.5M) in Series A funding led by Atomico and M12. The company uses neutral helium atoms instead of light for chip patterning, aiming to extend Moore’s Law beyond EUV limits. The capital will scale development of its first industrial lithography tool.
Beyond-EUV Race Heats Up
The round arrives as semiconductor lithography equipment demand surges, with Multibeam Corporation raising $31M Series B in 2025 for multi-column electron-beam systems. IMS Nanofabrication was acquired by Intel, while SCIL Nanoimprint Solutions secured $10.8M for mechanical patterning. Lace differentiates with diffraction-free atom beams for direct wafer patterning at atomic scales.
EUV Hits Resolution Limits
Current EUV lithography struggles with sub-1nm nodes needed for AI and quantum chips, facing physical diffraction barriers from light wavelengths around 13.5nm. The semiconductor lithography market stands at $30.44B in 2026 per Mordor Intelligence, underscoring the scale of patterning challenges for next-gen semiconductors.
Atoms Enable Atomic Precision
Lace’s BEUV systems fire cooled helium atoms at surfaces, achieving ultra-high resolution without light’s diffraction issues. This allows 10x smaller features than EUV, targeting logic chips directly on wafers rather than masks alone. Unlike electron beams in Multibeam or IMS, neutral atoms avoid charging damage.
Neutral Beams Outpace Electrons
As Bodil Holst, CEO and cofounder, noted:
"Atoms will enable the future of chip manufacturing."
The approach builds on 20+ years of helium atom beam research, now industrialized with laser cooling and beamlines.
Strategic Investors Signal Validation
Atomico leads with conviction in rewriting chipmaking rules, joined by Microsoft’s M12, Linse Capital, Vsquared Ventures, Future Ventures, and Nysnø Climate Investments. M12’s participation highlights alignment with AI compute demands. This mix blends deep tech focus with strategic hyperscaler backing.
Lithography Market Scales Rapidly
The market will grow from $30.44B in 2026 to $47.63B by 2031 at 9.37% CAGR per Mordor Intelligence, driven by AI wafer starts. ASML dominates EUV but eyes beyond-light tools, per recent announcements.
Physics Professors Lead Charge
CEO Bodil Holst brings PhD from Cambridge and 20+ years as nanophysics professor at University of Bergen, plus chairing the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience. CTO Adrià Salvador Palau holds dual PhDs and ex-Microsoft applied scientist experience in ML for lithography masks. Their expertise directly translates academic helium tech to industrial scale.
Lab Expansion Fuels Prototyping
Post-funding, Lace pursues Bergen lab expansion and 15+ hires in plasma physics, AMO physics, and cleanroom roles across Norway and Spain. CEO Holst presented advances at SPIE Lithography with imec collaboration, signaling prototype progress toward 2026 tools.