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Power Law company profile

Pragmatic

Semiconductors · Milton, United Kingdom · Founded 2010

Pragmatic Semiconductor is a UK-based company specializing in the design and manufacturing of ultra-thin, physically flexible microchips called FlexICs. Founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Scott White and academic Richard Price, the company was established to create cost-effective, scalable alternatives to traditional silicon-based chips. The initial technology stemmed from work at the University of Manchester, and the company is now headquartered in Cambridge, with manufacturing operations in County Durham. Pragmatic's core technology revolves around thin-film transistors (TFTs) grown on a flexible substrate, a process that is significantly less resource-intensive than conventional silicon semiconductor manufacturing. This method uses lower temperatures and fewer harmful chemicals, resulting in a much smaller carbon footprint and a production cycle of days rather than months. In 2022, co-founder Scott White transitioned to an executive director role, and David Moore, a semiconductor industry veteran with extensive experience at Intel and Micron, was appointed CEO. Under Moore's leadership, Pragmatic secured a landmark Series D funding round of £182 million in 2023, the largest ever for a European semiconductor venture, to expand its UK manufacturing capacity. The company operates with an integrated business model, offering both its own product portfolio and foundry services. Its business-to-business (B2B) model includes three main offerings: standard FlexIC products like the Pragmatic NFC Connect line for RFID applications, the FlexIC Foundry® service for custom designs, and the FlexLogIC® production system for scalable manufacturing. This allows clients to develop and test custom application-specific FlexICs in weeks. Pragmatic serves a wide array of markets, including consumer goods, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail, gaming, and security. A primary application is adding item-level intelligence to trillions of everyday objects for smart packaging, which can improve supply chains, enable reuse and recycling, and enhance consumer engagement through NFC technology. Pragmatic's manufacturing facility, Pragmatic Park in Durham, is the UK's first 300mm wafer fab and is housed in a repurposed ceramic pipe factory. The company plans to operate at least eight manufacturing lines in the UK, significantly increasing the nation's semiconductor production volume. Collaborations with companies like Arm and Avery Dennison have been key to its growth. For instance, a 2020 collaboration with Arm resulted in the first fully functional non-silicon Arm processor. Keywords: Flexible integrated circuits, FlexICs, thin-film transistor technology, semiconductor manufacturing, low-cost electronics, sustainable semiconductors, fab-as-a-service, item-level intelligence, RFID, NFC connectivity, smart packaging, wearable sensors, flexible electronics, custom ASIC design, Pragmatic Park, David Moore, Scott White, Richard Price, thin-film semiconductors, high-volume manufacturing, low-carbon footprint, circular economy, supply chain intelligence, embedded electronics, electronics in everything, consumer electronics, industrial applications, healthcare devices, internet of things, IoT, flexible microchips, semiconductor foundry, UK semiconductor, Cambridge tech, advanced materials, process design kit, electronic design automation, non-silicon processor, asset tracking, brand protection, consumer engagement, digital authentication.