€15m · Series A · Semiconductors · Antwerp, Belgium
TUSK IC, an Antwerp fabless chipmaker spun out of KU Leuven, has raised €15m in Series A financing. The round was led by Matterwave Ventures, FORWARD.one and Flanders Future Tech Fund, with participation from the Schaubroeck family and existing investors. The company says the capital will accelerate commercialisation of its standard-CMOS Ka-band beamformer chips and its move from prototypes to high-volume production.
Standard CMOS changes the terminal cost equation
Electronically steered satellite terminals need beamformers that can direct signals without mechanically moving an antenna. TUSK IC is applying mainstream CMOS manufacturing to a component often built with costlier specialist processes. That matters because lower chip cost and power draw can make flat-panel terminals viable across a wider set of consumer, enterprise and mobile applications.
The commercial test is integration, not only chip performance. TUSK IC says it is already working with a leading satcom manufacturer on a new antenna, giving the company a route from silicon into a complete terminal design. Moving to volume production should help customers judge yield, reliability and unit economics before committing the chips to large constellations or mobility programmes.
Sources checked: TUSK IC company announcement; PMV investor announcement; Tech.eu Funding Explorer.
