Memory Innovator Intrinsic Secures £1.35 m Seed Funding to Revolutionise Non‑Volatile Memory*
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Funding Highlights
£1.35 m raised in a seed round led by UCL Technology Fund and IP Group plc.
The money will power a partnership with imec in Belgium, the world’s leading semiconductor foundry.
Aim: prototype Intrinsic’s unique non‑volatile memory devices on 300 mm silicon wafers using standard CMOS processes.
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What’s the Big Deal?
Non‑volatile memory powers almost every gadget that stores data—smartphones, laptops, USB sticks, cameras, SSDs.
Today, most of that memory is Flash technology, which has been stretched to its limits in terms of speed, power use, and cost.
Intrinsic’s answer is a memristor (also called ReRAM/RRAM) made from the same materials as a typical CMOS chip—silicon oxide.
This commonality means it can be woven right into the processor stack without extra process steps, lowering cost and power consumption.
The result? Faster, greener, cheaper memory that could unlock new IoT devices and AI accelerators that need high bandwidth but low energy.
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How It Works
Think of a memristor as a smart resistor that “remembers” past voltage currents—hence the name memory‑resistor.
Because it shares its chemistry with the silicon wafer, it slides into the production line like a familiar neighbour.
The company’s founders—Professor Tony Kenyon and Dr. Adnan Mehonic—developed the core idea in UCL labs, then spun it out to Intrinsic with support from UCL Business.
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Industry Voices
Tony Kenyon (Co‑Founder, Professor of Nanoelectronics)“Flash is hitting its ceiling, especially in embedded systems. Our memristor blends high performance with simple integration on silicon. It’s cheap, efficient, and it’s ready for the next wave of devices.”Mark Dickinson (CEO of Intrinsic)“Having seen memory’s role in AI at ARM and Imagination, I’m thrilled to work with top researchers and bring a globally disruptive technology to market.”Adnan Mehonic (Co‑Founder, Assistant Professor, UCL)“In AI and edge computing, speed and energy are everything. Our silicon‑oxide memristors give you performance without the power hit—ideal for neural‐style hardware.”Lee Thornton (Investment Director, IP Group plc)“This breaks the bottleneck in current systems and opens doors for new architectures in AI. We’re excited to back Intrinsic right from the start.”David Grimm (Investment Director, UCL Technology Fund)“Intrinsic’s tech is a textbook example of world‑class research with immense industry potential. We’re proud to keep supporting this journey.”Steven Schooling (Director of Physical Sciences & Engineering, UCL Business)“Seeing a UCL spin‑out push the boundary of computer hardware is a proud moment. We can’t wait to watch Intrinsic thrive.”
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Why It Matters
Power Savings: Less energy means longer battery life and cooler devices—think smarter wearables and IoT sensors that stay on forever.
Cost Reduction: Easier integration slashes manufacturing fees, making cutting‑edge tech more affordable for consumers.
Innovation Catalyst: With high‑bandwidth, low‑energy memory, companies can experiment with neuromorphic computing, spiking neural networks, and AI at the edge.
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