Silicon Box Plans Chiplet Plant in Italy

Three-year-old Singapore chiplet startup Silicon Box has announced plans to invest €3.2 billion in Italy to build a state-of-the-art packaging plant in northern Italy, as confirmed by Italy’s industry minister Adolfo Urso.

Speaking about the decision, Urso emphasized the importance of establishing a more resilient semiconductor supply chain in Europe, especially in light of recent global disruptions.

This strategic move by Silicon Box comes after negotiations between Intel and the Italian government regarding a similar project fell through, positioning the startup as a key player in the region's semiconductor industry.

Founded by Marvell veterans Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai alongside Dr. B.J Han, Silicon Box successfully closed a $200 million Series B funding round last year. The company currently operates a cutting-edge $2 billion assembly plant in Singapore, where it commenced volume production in October.

Dr. Han expressed confidence in Silicon Box's ability to address the challenges faced by the semiconductor sector, particularly in facilitating the rapid adoption of chiplet technology. The company aims to provide high-performance, cost-effective, and scalable solutions for various industries, including large language models, generative AI, automotive, data centers, and mobile computing on a global scale.

With a focus on innovation, Silicon Box boasts the shortest chiplet-to-chiplet interconnection in the market, leading to a significant reduction in manufacturing costs for high-performance devices by up to 90%. This advancement also enhances the thermal and electrical performance of products, catering to the burgeoning AI accelerator market.

Aside from the core founders, Silicon Box has garnered support from a diverse group of investors, including BRV Capital, Event Horizon Capital, Grandfull Convergence Fund, Hillhouse Capital, Lam Capital (the corporate venture arm of Lam Research), Maverick Capital, Prasedium Capital, Tata Electronics, TDK Ventures, and UMC CapitalQa.

The establishment of the Italian plant is anticipated to create approximately 1,600 job opportunities at full operational capacity, contributing to the local economy and fostering technological advancement in the region.