CRN Names 10 Semiconductor Startups to Watch as 2026 Chip Sales Near $1.3 Trillion
Updated
Updated · CRN · Jul 15
CRN Names 10 Semiconductor Startups to Watch as 2026 Chip Sales Near $1.3 Trillion
1 articles · Updated · CRN · Jul 15
Summary
CRN highlighted 10 semiconductor startups for 2026, spotlighting companies from Axelera AI and Tenstorrent to d-Matrix, Lightmatter and Xsight Labs as notable chip innovators.
Gartner projects global semiconductor revenue will top $1.3 trillion in 2026, up 64%, with memory revenue expected to triple on AI-processing, networking, power and pricing demand.
Several of the featured startups are pairing product launches with major funding or commercial traction: Axelera AI raised $250 million, MatX $500 million, Fractile $220 million, and Etched says it has more than $1 billion in signed contracts.
The list underscores where investor and customer interest is concentrating—AI inference, RISC-V processors, photonics, high-performance networking and edge computing—as startups push toward 2027 and 2028 chip shipments.