Openchip, a Barcelona-based scale-up specialising in the design and marketing of high-performance, energy-efficient chips, has secured an investment of €115 million to accelerate the design of high-performance, energy-efficient chips for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
The backing came from the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), which reports to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service.
This investment adds to a wider set of 2026 European funding announcements in semiconductors, photonics, chip-manufacturing infrastructure and adjacent quantum hardware.
EU-Startups has reported disclosed 2026 rounds and public funding packages in this area totalling approximately €579.3 million, or about €694.3 million including Openchip, with larger transactions including CamGraPhIC’s €211 million state-backed funding approval for optical interconnects, QuantWare’s €152 million Series B for quantum processors, Equal1’s €51 million round for silicon-based quantum computing, and Lace Lithography’s €34.5 million Series A for next-generation chip production.
SETT itself has also been active this past year, both through its €6 million commitment to LUMO Labs’ fund and the Spanish government’s €67 million co-investment in Multiverse Computing.
Openchip was founded in 2021 following an initiative spearheaded by the Catalan engineering group GTD and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre-National Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS).
The company currently employs around 300 professionals and develops processors and accelerators based on the open RISC-V architecture. Its solutions are designed to deliver high performance with lower energy consumption, thereby helping to reduce the energy requirements of data centres and supercomputing infrastructures.
These devices are essential for the digital transformation of Europe, as they enable faster and better scientific research, data visualisation, and intelligent services.
The aim of the operation is to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in critical technologies through the development of open and efficient chip architecture solutions. It also seeks to expand the Spanish and European presence in the microelectronics industry and to strengthen the continent’s technological and industrial capabilities.
Openchip operates under a fabless model, meaning it focuses its activities on semiconductor design and outsources manufacturing to specialist foundries. This model means the company does not operate its own manufacturing facilities and allows it to concentrate its resources on the research, development and commercialisation of its solutions.
SETT’s investment complements and is coordinated with the authorisation granted last week by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat) for the regional administration to become a shareholder in Openchip.
Under this agreement, Openchip’s registered office, operational centre and business activities will remain in Catalonia. The Generalitat will also have representation on the company’s board of directors.
This stake aims to consolidate a strategic project for the development of a European semiconductor industry, the generation of technological knowledge and the creation of skilled jobs in the region.
SETT is carrying out this operation through the Next Tech facility, funded by Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. This facility aims to boost funding for startups and growth-stage companies in the field of deep tech.
