Jim Keller's startup is building a factory to mass-produce small chip fabs
5 hours ago
- #semiconductor-fabs
- #chip-prototyping
- #fab2-rebranding
- Atomic Semi, founded by Jim Keller and Sam Zeloof, has rebranded as Fab2 and moved operations to Texas.
- Fab2 focuses on mass-producing small semiconductor fabs and tools, dubbing itself a 'fab fab', and designs all components in-house.
- The company targets software-defined fabs for rapid prototyping and low-volume runs, using electron-beam lithography which is slower but suitable for small chips.
- Fab2 operates three sites: a new headquarters in Austin, a 'fab fab' in Lockhart, and an original 'garage fab' in San Francisco.
- The startup raised $15 million in seed funding in 2023, led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, and has around 84 employees as of May 2026.
- Fab2's model contrasts with large-scale fabs like Tesla and SpaceX's Terafab, highlighting a debate on U.S. chipmaking expansion: consolidated mega-fabs vs. distributed small fabs.