QuantumDiamonds closes €91M for quantum chip inspection

Munich-based startup QuantumDiamonds (QD) has announced the closing of a €91 million funding round to scale production of its semiconductor inspection technology based on quantum sensors. The deal combines a €15 million equity round led by World Fund, with participation from Bayern Kapital and existing investors such as IQ Capital, Earlybird, First Momentum, UnternehmerTUM, Creator Fund, and Onsight Ventures, and €76 million in non-dilutive funding approved under the European Chips Act, provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Free State of Bavaria.

Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich by Kevin Berghoff (CEO) and Fleming Bruckmaier (CTO), QD has developed an electric current microscope that uses atomic defects in synthetic diamonds — nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers — to detect magnetic fields with extreme precision. Its commercial system, QDm.1, enables non-destructive 3D imaging of currents at the nanoscale, locating hidden defects in advanced chips. The technology is based on principles of solid-state quantum sensors, a field that has matured rapidly over the past decade.

Why is this important?

Semiconductor inspection is a critical bottleneck in advanced chip manufacturing. Traditional methods (X-rays, electron microscopy) struggle to detect buried defects in complex 3D architectures, such as those in high-performance chips for AI or mobile devices. According to QD, a one percentage point improvement in yield can represent millions of dollars per week for a high-volume device. QD's quantum technology promises to increase that yield by identifying defects that currently go unnoticed. This non-destructive approach avoids wafer damage, unlike techniques such as lamation or scanning electron microscopy, reducing costs and accelerating development cycles for new packaging.

Moreover, the combination of private capital with public funds under the European Chips Act underscores the EU's strategic bet on reducing dependence on foreign inspection technologies and strengthening its semiconductor sovereignty. The European Chips Act, approved in 2023, mobilizes €43 billion to boost the semiconductor industry in the EU, and this €76 million injection is one of the first significant allocations to a quantum inspection startup.

Consequences and context

QD has already installed its first system in the U.S. (Eurofins EAG Laboratories in Sunnyvale, California) and in Asia (Integrated Service Technology in Hsinchu, Taiwan). In March 2026, the company opened a regional hub in Taiwan and appointed Peter Lemmens, a veteran of IMS Nanofabrication and imec, as managing director for Asia. This indicates an aggressive expansion strategy toward major chip manufacturing hubs. The presence in Taiwan is particularly relevant, as the island concentrates over 60% of global advanced semiconductor production (according to SEMI data).

The €76 million non-dilutive injection will allow QD to accelerate series production in Munich, where it has already announced plans to invest €152 million in a manufacturing plant for advanced test systems. This move positions Europe as a player in the next generation of inspection tools, a segment currently dominated by companies like KLA (U.S., with revenues of $9.8 billion in 2024), Applied Materials, and ASML. QD's entry could challenge that oligopoly, though its initial market share will be small.

For readers, this means quantum technology is leaving the lab and entering industrial production. The ability to detect defects in 3D chips could reduce costs for manufacturers and ultimately for consumers. It also reinforces the trend that European startups can compete in high technology if they have institutional support. According to McKinsey data, the semiconductor inspection market will grow at a compound annual rate of 8% until 2030, reaching $15 billion.

Key points to understand the news

• QD's technology is based on NV (nitrogen-vacancy) centers in diamonds, which act as quantum magnetic field sensors. These defects are sensitive to extremely weak magnetic fields, allowing mapping of electric currents with nanometric resolution.
• The QDm.1 system is non-destructive and allows chip inspection without damage, unlike techniques such as lamation or scanning electron microscopy, which require sectioning the sample.
• The non-dilutive funding comes from the European Chips Act, which mobilizes €43 billion to boost the semiconductor industry in the EU. Of that total, about €33 billion is for R&D and advanced manufacturing projects.
• Comparison with previous events: In 2021, Israeli startup Newsight Imaging raised $11 million for image sensors, but without a quantum component. In 2023, French company Alice & Bob obtained €30 million for quantum computing, but in a different field. QD is the first to combine quantum sensors with industrial-scale semiconductor inspection.

"This is an example of how quantum can solve real industry problems. It's not speculation; these are systems already working in factories." — Kevin Berghoff, CEO of QuantumDiamonds.

The news comes at a time when the semiconductor industry faces scalability and cost challenges. According to the 2025 report by the Semiconductor Industry Association, the average yield in advanced 3nm chips is around 70%, meaning 30% of wafers are discarded. Each percentage point improvement represents millions in savings. QD claims its technology can identify defects that other methods miss, such as buried short circuits or doping variations, helping to improve yield.

Furthermore, the combination of private and public capital is a model that could be replicated by other European deep tech startups. World Fund, the lead investor, is a climate impact fund with €350 million under management, betting on technologies that reduce emissions (improving chip yield decreases energy and material waste).

In summary, QuantumDiamonds has not only secured record funding for a European quantum startup but is also demonstrating that quantum technology can be applied to concrete industrial problems. With customers in the U.S. and Taiwan, and plans for series production in Munich, the company positions itself as a key player in the next generation of semiconductor inspection, a market previously dominated by U.S. and Asian giants. For the EU, this is a step toward technological autonomy in a sector critical to the digital economy.