Nanotech chip timing co. Sand 9 raises $8M
Quartz timing is old hat for wristwatches and clocks, but surprisingly enough, it’s still used in state-of-the-art computers. Sand 9 is the latest in a new generation of startups that wants to update timing for silicon chips.
If they’re successful, the cost and form factor for chips could shrink, and their uses could expand — which would be a significant boon for compact mobile devices. However, Sand 9 has plenty of competition, including Multigig, which just raised $12.5 million, Discera, which took $17.5 million last year, and Silicon Clocks, which recently took on $8 million more in a tranche of funding.
Sand 9’s competing technology uses components called “nanomechanical resonators” to increase device performance. The resonators create a mechanical signal that can then be converted into an electronic signal in the gigahertz range, according to a company spokesperson.
The $8 million funding is the company’s first. Flybridge Capital Partners led, and was joined by General Catalyst Partners and Khosla Ventures, which provided Sand 9’s $2 million seed funding. The company is based in Boston, Mass.
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About the Author, Chris Morrison
Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.