From AI to EVS, demand for semiconductors is exploding, but silicon is reaching its limits. Making more efficient chips requires new materials, which are much less new than sand, but the solution may be there - literally.

Space Forge, a UK-based British startup based in Cardiff, Wales, recently raised £22.6 million (about $30 million) of Series A to create crystalline materials in space, in which case unique conditions unlock new possibilities.

For example, the Welsh startup earlier won a project where BT (former BT) hopes to test how to fusion crystal materials in space can reduce the power consumption of its 5G towers. Due to weightlessness and other properties, crystals made in space have fewer defects, which can help the device use less energy.

Real-world use cases like this help Space Forge convey the message that critical systems can use their technology as an invisible backbone. CEO Joshua Western told TechCrunch that the whole idea of ​​making a chip on track sounds like science fiction, but has known its viability since the 1970s.

"We not only know that this is possible, but we know that doing so has a big improvement, and we are just standing on the shoulders of about 50 years of research," Western said.

The improvements to the problem are the acquisition of defects and enhanced performance crystalline and advanced semiconductor materials that make them attractive for use in applications such as quantum computing and defense systems.

The potential of this dual purpose explains why the NATO Innovation Fund leads Space Forge's Series A, and why US defense contractor Northrop Grumman is one of its partners.

Partners will be the key to Space Forge's trajectory: The company will not build rockets, but rely on existing space providers to launch parts - a "problem-solving" in Western terms.

Not just the Rockets. From chip manufacturing to space returns, Space Fog tied together on paper the technology that might be described as problem-solving. But if you ask about the moat in the west, he will quickly retort: ​​"How difficult is this?!"

West said it was the cost of leveraging a unique environment in space: It needed to adapt to harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures and microgravity. “Physics has answers, and engineering is the way you really get there.”

"Mary Poppins from Space"

Engineering is also needed to bridge the gap between innovation and commercially viable technologies. Space Forge no longer has capsules like Apollo's, returning its material to Mary Poppins in Space. "We deployed something that looked a lot like an umbrella, but (but) the level of space, which allowed us to float down from space back to the ground," Western explained.

Developing new reward technology is a key focus of Space Forge. In addition to its heat shield, the startup pays homage to King Arthur's legend and has also developed the Guardian, a floating net to capture the returned satellites and ensure soft landing on the water. These efforts were supported by the British Space Agency and the European Space Agency, and despite Brexit, the UK remains a member.

Building a return infrastructure in Europe is one of Space Forge's ambitions and is in progress. This week, the company opened an office in Portugal on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, a perfect location for the European satellite to return, which is an important step to enable European partners to reach industrial scale.

The increasing commercialization of returns and launch technologies has made the rise of space manufacturing startups first possible, with applications including drug discovery and telecom hardware. However, their viability is still very dependent on cost reductions, or finding customers willing to pay a premium.

Transfer geopolitics can help space build these clients. Western and its co-founder and CTO Andrew Bacon previously worked at Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and its Italian companion Leonardo. However, this trend is not only defense, as Europe's concerns about relying on Taiwan's semiconductors.

“We urgently need a local supply of elasticity to the next generation of metamaterials needed for computing the future. We also need a local supply of chips that are sustainable.”

The climate technology venture capital firm, which was a seed round of Space Forge and participated in Series A, is buying Space Forge as a "carbon-negative technology" position that could combat climate change. However, emission savings have not been proven on a large scale and rely on commercial adoption to truly offset every task.

Space Forge still has to complete its first mission, though. When Virgin Orbit's Rockets launched Cornwall in 2023, a total of six and a half minutes, its first attempt ended, including Space Forge's InmeStar-0 Satellite.

With its new funding, the company is now accelerating the development of its latest spacecraft and is ready to launch its Forgiveness 1 demonstrators later this year with Pridwen. In order to pay tribute to the distant Milky Way, Space Forge announced the official name of the mission "Fake Awakening".

Anna Heim met Joshua Western and Daria Saharova at an event held by the World Foundation, which bears her travel expenses; this article was written independently.