
SiPearl is a European semiconductor company focused on designing high-performance, energy-efficient processors for supercomputing and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Founded by Philippe Notton in June 2019, the company is bringing to life the European Processor Initiative (EPI) project with the goal of fostering European technological sovereignty in critical sectors like defense, security, health, energy, and climate. Their processors are designed to be backdoor-free and kill switch-free, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint. SiPearl's strategy involves close collaboration with over 30 partners from the EPI consortium, which includes scientific communities, supercomputing centers, and leading IT, electronics, and automotive companies. The company's first-generation processor, Rhea1, is based on the Arm Neoverse V1 platform and targets the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking ecosystem, aiming to enable European supercomputers to reach exascale power. SiPearl has secured significant funding, including a Series A round of €90m to launch Rhea1, with investors such as Arm, Atos Group (Eviden), the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, and the French State. They have also established key technological partnerships with Arm, Siemens Digital Industries Software, and Ansys, and manufacturing agreements with TSMC. SiPearl's first major customer contract is to equip the JUPITER exascale supercomputer.

SiPearl is a European semiconductor company focused on designing high-performance, energy-efficient processors for supercomputing and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Founded by Philippe Notton in June 2019, the company is bringing to life the European Processor Initiative (EPI) project with the goal of fostering European technological sovereignty in critical sectors like defense, security, health, energy, and climate. Their processors are designed to be backdoor-free and kill switch-free, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint. SiPearl's strategy involves close collaboration with over 30 partners from the EPI consortium, which includes scientific communities, supercomputing centers, and leading IT, electronics, and automotive companies. The company's first-generation processor, Rhea1, is based on the Arm Neoverse V1 platform and targets the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking ecosystem, aiming to enable European supercomputers to reach exascale power. SiPearl has secured significant funding, including a Series A round of €90m to launch Rhea1, with investors such as Arm, Atos Group (Eviden), the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, and the French State. They have also established key technological partnerships with Arm, Siemens Digital Industries Software, and Ansys, and manufacturing agreements with TSMC. SiPearl's first major customer contract is to equip the JUPITER exascale supercomputer.
Founded / CEO: 2019 — Philippe Notton
Flagship product: Rhea1 processor family (Arm Neoverse V1; samples available early 2026; manufactured at TSMC)
Primary markets: High-performance computing (HPC), AI, data centres — target: European exascale (JUPITER)
Recent funding: €130M Series A final close (2025-07-08)
Headcount: 167 employees (profile data)
Design and supply of sovereign, energy-efficient, high-performance processors for HPC, AI, and data-centre workloads.
2019
Semiconductor Manufacturing
€130,000,000
Definitive closing with a third tranche; finalises Series A.
€23,000,000
Described as €15m equity plus €8m syndicated bank loan.
€90,000,000
Included up to €25m convertible debt from the EIB (with €10m ultimately subscribed).
€17,500,000
Comprised of a €2.5m grant plus up to €15m in equity investments via the EIC Fund; described as the first direct investment of the EIC Fund.
€7,400,000
Grant funding cited at operational launch / design start timeframe.
“Investor mix includes strategic corporate investors (Arm, Eviden/Atos), public-sector innovation funds and programs (EIC Fund, France 2030), financial institutions (EIB, Caisse d'Epargne Rhone Alpes), and venture participation (Cathay Venture).”
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