About Black Semiconductor
Black Semiconductor develops chips that use graphene, a one-atom-thick form of carbon, to build optical links on top of conventional silicon electronics. The goal is to move data between chips as light instead of electrical signals, which can reduce energy use and heat. The company was founded in 2020 in Aachen, Germany, as a spin-off from the AMO research center, by brothers Daniel and Sebastian Schall. Its FabONE site in Aachen houses a 300 mm wafer pilot line.
Black Semiconductor was founded in 2020 and is based in Aachen, Germany. It is listed under Custom Silicon, Interconnect & Networking. Reported funding is €211M public support (cumulative); acquired Applied Nanolayers March 2025.
Compute Technologies
- Custom Silicon
What Black Semiconductor works on
Custom Silicon
Custom silicon means a company designs its own chips for its own products or data centers instead of buying standard parts. The chip is made by a foundry such as TSMC, but the design belongs to the customer.
Interconnect & Networking
Interconnect is the set of links that move data between chips, between boards and between racks. It includes wires on a package, cables inside a server, and the network switches and optical fibre across a data center. A processor is only as useful as the speed at which it can get data in and out.
Also in Germany
EXTOLL, Elmos Semiconductor, X-FAB, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Bosch Semiconductors
