AmberWave lands $21M in 4th round
Boston Business Journal - June 2, 2004

AmberWave Systems Corp. has raised $21 million in fourth-round venture capital as the semiconductor company prepares to take its "strained silicon" technology to market.

AmberWave, of Salem, N.H., lined up funds from lead investor 3i, as well as from past investors Adams Capital Management, Arch Ventures, Telesoft Partners and The Hillman Cos.

AmberWave is plotting a market strategy for its products that employ an advanced form of silicon called "strained silicon" that enables semiconductor devices to perform quicker and with less power consumption.

Based on research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and AT&T Bell Laboratories, and a portfolio of more than 100 issued and pending patents, AmberWave's strained silicon technology has demonstrated the ability to increase chip speed of CMOS circuits by 17 percent at the same power consumption level and reduce power consumption by 34 percent at the same speed, compared with circuits fabricated on traditional silicon, according to the company.

Marko Maschek, a partner at 3i who will join AmberWave's board, said in a statement, "Semiconductor manufacturers continue to look to new ways to enhance device performance and strained silicon is one of the industry's most promising technologies. The impact of such technology on PCs, cell phones, PDAs, as well as other mobile applications, is tremendous."

"The semiconductor's biggest players -- IBM, Texas Instruments, Intel, Motorola, Toshiba, TSMC to name a few -- are announcing their interest in strained silicon," said AmberWave CEO Robert Faubert in a statement. "Our intellectual property portfolio and world-class engineers, coupled with this strong financial backing from 3i and others, will enhance our ability to bring strained silicon to the semiconductor wafer and device marketplaces."

About AmberWave Systems
Founded in 1998, AmberWave Systems has become a leader in the research, development and licensing of advanced technologies for semiconductor manufacturing. By funding and guiding university research, AmberWave Systems is bringing new technology developments to fruition through patents and technology licensing. In conjunction with its university research projects, AmberWave Systems conducts its own research, development and limited manufacturing in its semiconductor fabrication facility in Salem, New Hampshire. In addition, AmberWave Systems collaborates with other technology focused companies to further expand and develop its research. For more information about the company, please visit its Web site at www.amberwave.com.