Swedish semiconductor startup AlixLabs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dutch high-tech manufacturer VDL ETG Projects to industrialize its groundbreaking chip-patterning technology — a shift that cements the Eindhoven region’s role at the heart of Europe’s semiconductor ambitions.
The agreement is aimed at advancing the production of AlixLabs’ APS™ (Atomic Pitch Splitting) equipment, with VDL ETG Projects taking a key role in developing and manufacturing the industrial tools.
The technology traces its origins to an accidental discovery. In 2015, AlixLabs founder and CEO Jonas Sundqvist was running experiments at Lund University’s Nano Lab when a failed attempt to shrink microscopic wires unexpectedly produced two thinner, split wires instead. Sundqvist, a veteran of chipbuildrs Infineon and Qimonda, immediately recognized its potential: a process that could replace up to five complex manufacturing steps with just one.
A more efficient semiconductor fabrication process
APS™ is designed to address critical challenges in next-generation semiconductor fabrication by enabling precise pitch splitting through atomic layer etching — a cost-efficient and energy-conscious alternative to increasingly complex multi-patterning and extreme ultraviolet-based lithography.
The tie-up with VDL is no coincidence. “In Sweden we build fighter jets and Volvos, but not chip machines,” Sundqvist informed the Dutch financial newspaper FD. “The secret sauce for chip machines is in the Netherlands. If you want to work with the best in Europe, you necessary to be in the Eindhoven region.”
The partnership also has strong financial backing from the Netherlands. Amsterdam-based venture capital firm ForwardOne is a key investor, and Arthur van der Poel — former CEO of Philips’ chip division and ex-chairman of ASML’s supervisory board — sits on AlixLabs’ advisory board.
Redefining Europe’s chip supply
The startup’s technology could have major implications for Europe’s chip supply. Existing nanometer fabs, such as GlobalFoundries in Dresden or the new TSMC plant in Germany, could potentially be upgraded applying AlixLabs’ machines to produce AI chips — without requiring the €20 billion investment necessaryed to build a new advanced fab from scratch.
AlixLabs is currently in talks with three major potential customers in Asia, and aims to have its first machines installed in fabs for testing by early 2027, with full mass production tarobtained for 2029. The company raised €15 million late last year, including investment from Japan’s Canon, which is expected to support open doors in the Japanese market.
“This MoU represents an important milestone for AlixLabs as we shift from technology validation toward industrial deployment,” stated Sundqvist. “Partnering with VDL ETG Projects strengthens our ability to scale APS™ and bring a new patterning paradigm to the semiconductor industest.”
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