UnitySC to be acquired by Merck
Two years after leading a significant funding round in UnitySC with the French State through French Tech Souveraineté (a program operated by Bpifrance), Jolt Capital is pleased to announce that the company will be acquired by Merck.
The transaction is still subject to regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions and is expected to be closed until year end. Combined with Merck’s extensive optoelectronics and semiconductor expertise, UnitySC will extend the ecosystem relevance of Merck's Electronics business.
Driven by artificial intelligence and high performance computing, demand for electronic chips is rising sharply, both in volumes and performances. Measurements and inspection of wafers at every step of the manufacturing process are becoming ever more critical to ensure minimal rates of failure and increase yield. UnitySC has become an essential reference at many wafer manufacturers and IC foundries, with a leading position in the field of 3DIC metrology. Beside advanced packaging measuring, UnitySC offers a full range of equipment dedicated to other types of high-end processes, most notably in patterned and un-patterned defect inspection for compound semiconductors, transparent substrate or specialty devices (MEMS and power, automotive, RF).
“We’ve been following UnitySC since its creation, and we also played a direct role in the consolidating acquisitions made in 2016 and 2018. With the additional funding round we led in 2022, the company could increase its position as one of the key players in semiconductor metrology, a crucial step in the current frenzy around AI chips. UnitySC’s upcoming acquisition by Merck is a textbook example of what we do at Jolt: consolidating leading innovators in Europe, and contributing to the emergence of global champions in capital equipment and deeptech in general.” commented Pierre Garnier, Managing Partner at Jolt Capital.
“We can benefit from the broad knowledge Merck has in semiconductor wafer manufacturing and their extensive optical expertise in light manipulation combined with their Life Science instrumentation capabilities. Together with Merck, we can create high value solutions to serve our common customers. We are looking forward to becoming an integral part of a global company with close customer relationships and an extensive offering to the semiconductor industry,” added Dan Lee, CEO of UnitySC.
For more details:
https://www.merckgroup.com/en/news/acquisition-unity-sc-18-07-2024.html
(Paris, 18 July 2024)