Intralink Limited has been selected to drive growth in Japan for UK scaleup Pragmatic Semiconductor, following the £182 million venture investment the company secured in December.
Cambridge-based Pragmatic Semiconductor develops chips based on innovative, flexible integrated circuits that are thinner than human hair. Made from polymers, they are quicker to produce than silicon chips, at a fraction of the cost and with a significantly smaller environmental footprint. The venture financing the company recently obtained is the most ever invested in a European semiconductor firm, and sees Pragmatic now valued at around £500 million.
The investment is reported to enable the company, which currently has around 250 employees, to ramp up its UK production facilities, creating 500 new jobs and billions of chips a year – putting it on track to become Britain’s biggest chip maker.
Facilitating overseas growth
It will also facilitate its overseas growth, with Japan a priority market due to its broad expertise in sensor manufacturing. In commissioning Intralink to spearhead its expansion in Japan, Pragmatic first intends to bring the benefits of its thermistor and thermocouple technologies to Japanese temperature and fingerprint sensor manufacturers. As well as boosting sales in the country, Intralink is tasked with identifying longer-term opportunities to license Pragmatic’s unique manufacturing process to Japanese corporations.
Vincent Barlier, Foundry Product Commercial Director at Pragmatic, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Intralink as we look to grow our presence in Japan, a key hub of the sensor industry. Intralink’s strong relationships and considerable experience in the market made them a clear choice for us as we look to accelerate our expansion and generate significant revenues in the region.”