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Aledia’s Future Is on MicroLED Display

With plans to build a plant in the Grenoble valley, France’s epicenter of microelectronics production, Aledia aims to cement its position in
the microLED display market.

Led by Société de Projet Industriel, a fund managed by Bpifrance and remained undisclosed; Anania called them “huge potential customers.”
underwritten by the French government, the Series D round gathers There are no small customers in the display market. “There are 11, 12
most of Aledia’s existing strategic investors: Braemar Energy Ventures, companies that count in the world,” said Anania. “I have a customer in
Demeter Investment Partners, the Ecotechnologies fund of Bpifrance, the phone business that purchases US$12 billion to US$15 billion worth
Ingka Investments, Intel Capital, Sofinnova Ventures, Supernova of displays a year. Of course, this customer can look at the market alter-
Invest, Tokyo Electron (TEL), Valeo, and several other large technology natives, but it’s worth trying.”
companies. The question is whether Aledia can go from zero to very high
volumes within two or three years. “We are making the necessary
“Europe’s problem is that it cares too much investments to handle the growth of GaN nanowires,” Anania said.
The company subcontracts the rest of the chip manufacturing process
about what it already has and about the past.” to established silicon foundries. Israeli Tower Semiconductor is one
of them.
— Giorgio Anania, Aledia’s co-founder and CEO
EUROPE, FROM PAST TO FUTURE
Anania is motivated by a dream: “to bring back to Europe the pro-
Previously, Aledia raised over €38.4 million in two financing rounds duction of displays as a whole.” His words echo recent rhetoric about
in 2012 and 2015 and €30 million in 2018. European sovereignty and the strengthening of industry, but does
Europe give itself the means to do so?
CALCULATED RISKS As the founder and vice president of the European technology
Taking calculated risks is an essential part of the entrepreneurial platform Photonics21, Anania has had the opportunity to step back
journey. “There is no such thing as a big risk-free bet,” said Anania. and analyze Europe’s structural weaknesses. His conclusion: “Europe’s
“The risk would be that it would take longer to optimize the product, problem is that it cares too much about what it already has and about
but conversely, if we don’t take the risk of producing it in series, we the past.”
risk losing competitiveness. We can’t wait until we have optimized all The Covid-19 crisis accelerated the pace of change. “In six months,
products to push the factory button.” we have made a leap of 20 years,” said Anania. “Everybody thinks video,
Competition is indeed fierce, and Aledia will never be able to and virtual exchange replaces physical exchange.” A wave of innovation
compete with giants like Samsung and Apple. Having a differentiating is under way, and he believes it is likely to be stronger in the next 10 to
technology is one advantage, Anania said, but “we must not rest on our 15 years than in the last 30. Artificial intelligence alone will make many
laurels, because these companies have a lot of means and even slightly markets obsolete and create new ones.
simpler technologies can suffice.” “Too often, Europe puts pennies on little things and doesn’t try
Aledia said it has the operational and financial support of three things that require a little more courage,” said Anania. “It shouldn’t
international partners. Intel has not only been investing in the com- always protect the past but be confident to invest in the future.”
pany since 2018, but it sits on the company’s board and participates Aledia currently employs about 130 people but expects to grow to
in product development. “The strength of the collaboration between about 550 within four years. ■
the two companies is at the product level,” said Anania. Aledia also
has a development contract with two large companies whose names Anne-Françoise Pelé is editor-in-chief of EE Times Europe.

DECEMBER 2020 | www.eetimes.eu