Breakthrough Victoria invests in silicon chip company MILLIBEAM

Breakthrough Victoria is investing $3 million in fabless semiconductor company MILLIBEAM, aiming to accelerate the development and global adoption of millimetre wavelength (mmWave) radio chipsets for 5G/6G communications networks.

The investment from Breakthrough Victoria will significantly bolster MILLIBEAM’s operations in Melbourne, with the company planning to hire an additional four specialised systems engineers and five technicians within the year.

MILLIBEAM will also establish semiconductor packaging capability in Victoria, with potential for future expansion to support commercial mmWave 5G chipset packaging.

With the rapidly expanding use of 5G/6G linked devices in our everyday lives, the current 5G/6G bandwidth is becoming very congested, leading to data transfer delays and losses.

This will only increase in the future with significantly increased numbers of connected devices and greater data needs as applications such as AI are widely adopted.

MILLIBEAM’s radio chipset aims to open up largely untapped bandwidth in the millimeter wavelength range (much greater capacity) to address this congestion issue.

MILLIBEAM CEO and Co-Founder Dr Venkata Gutta said: “The future of ultra-high-speed 5G/6G networks, powering AI and remote surgery, hinges on developing energy-efficient, long-range radio-frequency chips – a hurdle that’s stumped even industry giants.

“MILLIBEAM is leading the charge in 5G disruption with a clear vision, a team of innovators, and the backing of visionary investors like Breakthrough Victoria. Their support is instrumental in bringing our groundbreaking 5G/6G solutions to market faster.”

MILLIBEAM’s novel chipset design uses both existing 5G spectrum at lower frequencies and the 5G spectrum at millimeter-wave frequencies.

MILLIBEAM is also planning to establish a research partnership with a Victorian university.

Breakthrough Victoria CEO Grant Dooley said: “We are thrilled to support MILLIBEAM in their mission to make mmWave 5G a conventional reality.

“Their innovative solutions have the potential to transform telecommunications and create significant economic and technological benefits for Victoria.”

Further reading:
Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Some humble thoughts on developing a native semi industry (Brent Balinski’s interview with Dr Venkata Gutta)

Picture: Dr Venkata Gutta