Under a new agreement, Space Forge, based in South Wales, will become the first incubation client at the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM). The collaboration grants Space Forge access to a dedicated clean room and a comprehensive suite of semiconductor processing and characterization tools.
Space Forge is known for producing high-value semiconductor products from wafers grown in microgravity. At CISM, the company plans to develop its terrestrial scale-up capability with a focus on radiation-hard wide bandgap power electronics and microgravity growth-tool development.
CISM is a recent addition to the UK's semiconductor research landscape, backed by £55 million from UK and Welsh Governments. It supports pilot-scale translation to manufacturing and start-up incubation. Previously focused on clean energy and healthcare semiconductors, this deal marks CISM's entry into space application technologies.
Located within South Wales' CSconnected ecosystem—Europe's first advanced compound semiconductor cluster—CISM works alongside multinational firms like Vishay and Microchip. It benefits from innovation through partnerships with Swansea and Cardiff Universities, among others.
Professor Paul Meredith, Director of CISM stated: "We are delighted to welcome Space Forge to CISM. Incubation of innovative SMEs and start-ups is part of our core mission."
Alastair McGibbon, Head of Semiconductors at Space Forge said: "We are delighted to be the first incubation client at CISM, gaining access to their state-of-the-art clean room facilities."