Nearfield Instruments was founded in 2016 as a spin-off from TNO, building on many years of applied research. The company develops advanced metrology and inspection systems for the production of the latest generation of chips. This technology helps chip manufacturers to reliably produce ever smaller, more powerful and more energy-efficient chips. As such, it is playing an increasingly important role as demand for advanced semiconductors grows, driven by applications such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data centres.
A broad international consortium of investors
The funding round was led by new investor Fidelity Investments, which is making its first private investment in the Netherlands. In addition to international investors, the investor group also includes Dutch investors Invest-NL, TNO Ventures, Innovation Industries and ING.
Capital for further international growth
Nearfield Instruments intends to use the new capital to accelerate its innovation programme, expand its production capacity and further strengthen its international presence. In doing so, the company will not only strengthen its own position, but also contribute to the technological competitiveness of the Netherlands and Europe within the global semiconductor ecosystem.
Nearfield Instruments’ unicorn status marks the first concrete milestone in TNO’s ambition to contribute to the creation and growth of at least two new Dutch unicorns by 2030.
