Nearfield Instruments is considering a stock market listing within the next three years as the demand for its measurement tools grows, according to the CEO. This move could potentially add another publicly traded computer chip equipment manufacturer to the Netherlands.
CEO Hamed Sadeghian shared, "We are planning for an IPO in 2027, 2028 at the latest," citing market conditions as a deciding factor due to the cyclic nature of the chip industry.
South Korea's Samsung is among Nearfield's customers, and the company recently reported receiving "multiple orders" from a U.S. client, with plans to establish offices there. While declining to disclose the customer's identity, Sadeghian highlighted the company's expansion efforts.
The Netherlands is home to various semiconductor equipment manufacturers, such as ASML, Besi, and ASM International.
Founded in 2016, Nearfield secured investments from Walden Catalyst and Singapore's Temasek to support its growth. The company's technology utilizes atomic force microscopy for measuring silicon wafers, allowing it to work at dimensions smaller than most light wavelengths.
Though primarily targeted at advanced logic chips, interest in Nearfield tools has extended to memory chip manufacturers and producers of older chip generations used in automotive and energy sectors. With evolving chip designs emphasizing chip stacking, precise alignment becomes increasingly vital, necessitating metrology tools like those offered by Nearfield.