Nearfield Instruments raises record $380M chip round

Nearfield Instruments, a Rotterdam-based startup that inspects chips at the atomic scale using atomic force microscopes, has closed a $380M Series D at a $1.6B valuation — the largest deep-tech funding round in Dutch history. The round was led by Fidelity and includes sovereign wealth funds from Singapore (Temasek) and Qatar (QIA), signaling strategic interest in chip inspection infrastructure. Nearfield's QUADRA platform performs non-destructive metrology on advanced chip structures like High-NA EUV and gate-all-around transistors, addressing a growing bottleneck as AI demands ever more complex chips. The company sits within a broader Dutch semiconductor cluster alongside ASML and other spinouts, reflecting Europe's push for semiconductor sovereignty. The global chip metrology market was valued at $10.3B in 2025 and is projected to reach $15B by 2031.

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