QuantumDiamonds raises €91M to accelerate chip inspection tech
Original: With EU backing, QuantumDiamonds aims to speed up chip manufacturing
Why This Matters
Quantum-based chip inspection could cut manufacturing costs and accelerate semiconductor output at scale across global foundries.
German startup QuantumDiamonds secured €76M in EU-backed non-dilutive funding plus a €15M equity round led by World Fund. The TU Munich spinout uses quantum sensing with synthetic diamonds to detect chip defects in two minutes, replacing a process that typically takes weeks.
QuantumDiamonds, a Munich-based spinout from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has received €76 million in non-dilutive funding approved by the European Commission and provided by Germany's federal economy ministry and the state of Bavaria. The funding is part of a broader $178 million investment plan to establish a new semiconductor testing equipment facility in Munich under the European Chips Act framework.
In parallel, the company closed a €15 million equity round led by VC firm World Fund, with participation from Bayern Kapital and existing investors including Creator Fund, Earlybird, First Momentum, IQ Capital, Onsight Ventures, and UnternehmerTUM. The company declined to disclose its valuation.
CEO Kevin Berghoff stated the company 'works with almost everyone in the chip ecosystem.' QuantumDiamonds uses quantum sensing technology — leveraging magnetic fields generated via synthetic diamonds — to detect defects across all layers of a chip without destroying it. The inspection compresses a process that normally takes weeks into roughly two minutes, avoiding production line interruptions. Berghoff said hardware costs are typically recovered within a few months, alongside a subscription fee for software and on-site support. The company counts Taiwan-based foundries and Korean memory makers among its clients.