[Techtaffy Newsdesk]
SuVolta, developer of the PowerShrink low-power IC technology, has secured $17.6 million in venture funding. The company will use the funding to continue to develop low-power silicon technologies for the world’s most advanced semiconductor processes.
New investor Bright Capital participated in the round, joining all existing SuVolta investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), August Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Northgate Capital, DAG Ventures and others.
John Doerr (Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers): SuVolta’s revolutionary PowerShrink transistor is a stunning and disruptive innovation, a true game-changer. It solves the semiconductor industry’s greatest challenge – power – without requiring billions of dollars investment in new fab facilities and chip designs.
The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) shows supplier funding (e.g., IP, EDA/design, foundry, test, packaging) at $717.5M in 2007 compared to $272.2M in 2010, with 2011 tracking at roughly half the rate of last year as reported in the Global Semiconductor Funding, IPO and M&A Update.
The semiconductor industry recognizes the issue of power consumption must be addressed – including Intel which introduced the Tri-Gate transistor in May 2011. SuVolta’s PowerShrink low-power CMOS platform, enables semiconductor companies to cut chip power in half.