Seattle startup Tignis raises $7.2 Million for AI process control in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Tignis, a Seattle based innovator in AI process control for semiconductor manufacturing, has now secured $7.2 million in a Series A funding round.

Tignis was founded by Jon Herlocker. It sells innovative software solutions that use AI and machine learning to enable next-gen semiconductor manufacturing processes, decrease process downtime and increase manufacturing yield.

The company products equip process and operations engineers with the tools necessary to design, implement and test AI projects to ensure the implementation of AI process control and monitoring initiatives. Its technology is deployed in lots of facilities across the globe.

Jon Herlocker, president and CEO of Tignis, said, "This funding will accelerate Tignis on its journey of advancing physics-driven AI process control as an enabler of the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing. AI Process control will accelerate semiconductor process development, improve efficiency and quality, and enable manufacturing technologies that previously were too complex to model, resulting in the production of smaller and more complex chips, faster time to market and improved yield while reducing the cost of operations. In addition, the advancement of AI process control technology in semiconductor manufacturing that Tignis is undertaking is of particular importance to the US market, to re-establish competitiveness and leadership in this industry."

Steve Schlenker of DN Capital said, "Jon and Matt have built a world-class team which is pushing the limits of innovation in the most technologically savvy sectors in the world. Tignis is an enabling technology which democratizes machine learning for process engineers and optimizes process control for semiconductor companies - this is one of the most valuable use-cases for applying AI in industrial process manufacturing. We are extremely excited to lead this investment round in Tignis."

The round was backed by DN Capital with participation from Paul Maritz, Clear Ventures and Harel Kodesh.

The company, as of now, has plans to use the new funds to expand its sales team and execute on current contracts, notes the announcement.