SCI Semiconductor raises £2.5m from Mercia Ventures to fund engineering expansion and product rollout.
The funding round was led by Mercia Ventures with participation from regional funds and angel investors.
SCI Semiconductor develops memory safe computer chips designed to eliminate major cyber security vulnerabilities. The business brings together leading industry figures and researchers to establish new standards in secure computing.
SCI Semiconductor has secured £2.5m in a funding round led by Mercia Ventures to expand its engineering team in Sheffield and bring its technology to market. The investment included participation from NPIF II - Mercia Equity Finance alongside angel investors from the UK and Silicon Valley.
The business focuses on solving the problem of memory safety, which accounts for a significant share of cyber attacks. Its upcoming ICENI family of chips will utilise CHERI technology to enforce strict memory control without requiring constant patching or expensive language transitions.
The fresh capital will be directed towards building out a team of engineers in Sheffield as the company prepares to launch its initial product line. Additional backing comes from regional and governmental funds aimed at reinforcing the UK position in semiconductor technology.
From the founder
"Cybersecurity is second only to global conflict in terms of factors affecting the economy. Memory safe chips have been shown to prevent 70% of all attacks and would enable organisations to continue using existing software with complete peace of mind. Developing a new generation of chips here in the UK will also help to ensure supply chain security and restore the country’s position as a leader in semiconductor technology."
Haydn Povey
CEO at SCI Semiconductor
Investor perspective
"Memory safety has been a problem for years but until now has been a secondary priority. However, with the world becoming more dangerous, government and industry have woken up to the dangers. Despite collaboration between the big tech companies, no one has yet managed to build a silicon chip that addresses the issue. The funding will help SCI to win the race for memory safety and deliver next generation security."
Will Schaffer
Investment Director, Mercia Ventures
Use of funds
- 01Grow the team
- 02Continue product development
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About the company
SCI Semiconductor
SCI Semiconductor develops memory safe computer chips to eliminate critical cyber security vulnerabilities.