A Netherlands-based company that builds precision measurement tools for the semiconductor industry announced Monday it has raised $380 million in new funding, bringing its total valuation to $1.6 billion.
Nearfield Instruments produces devices known as atomic force microscopes — instruments that measure the extremely small features found on advanced computer chips. The technology works by dragging a fine probe across the surface of a chip, much like a needle running along the grooves of a vinyl record, allowing it to detect features just a few atoms in height.
These measurements are taken repeatedly throughout the hundreds of manufacturing steps required to produce a chip, a process known as semiconductor metrology. That field is currently dominated by KLA Corp.
Nearfield Co-founder and CEO Hamed Sadeghian said the new capital will be directed toward expanding the company’s manufacturing capabilities and customer support infrastructure, driven by a surge in demand tied to artificial intelligence chip production.
While Sadeghian declined to identify specific customers, he confirmed that the company’s tools are already being used by leading chipmakers.
“We have significant demand for our systems from our customers in front of us, and we want to deliver on that demand,” Sadeghian said. “That means increasing the productivity of our production line, increasing the capacity of production, reducing the lead times.”
The funding round was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from Temasek, Innovation Industries, M&G, Invest-NL, and Walden Catalyst Ventures — the venture capital firm where Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan serves as a founding managing partner.
Nearfield Instruments also announced that the Qatar Investment Authority joined the round as a new investor, while existing backers TNO Ventures and ING also contributed to the raise.
