Named Global Finalist at Lam Capital Venture Competition 2026

The semiconductor industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and the way innovation is developed and deployed is changing alongside it. As manufacturing process technology advances, the considerations and opportunities for value-creating innovation expand — from in-fab AI optimization and automation, to solving the technical challenges of advanced packaging, to improving sustainability.

In this environment, accelerating the pace of innovation increasingly depends on collaboration among diverse stakeholders across technology development and commercialization. The depth and structure of that collaboration is itself becoming a factor that shapes semiconductor industry competitiveness.

This is why Lam Research, through Lam Capital, is accelerating ecosystem building through collaboration. Lam Capital is the corporate venture arm of Lam Research, established to support innovation across the semiconductor industry from a long-term perspective.

Lam Capital Venture Competition

Lam Capital's collaboration-first philosophy is taking concrete form through the 2026 Lam Capital Venture Competition. Launched in 2019 and now in its fourth edition, the global program is scheduled to take place on May 21 in Fremont, California. It is designed to give promising startups in semiconductors and deeptech a stage to showcase their technologies and engage directly with global companies, investors, and industry experts.

This year's program goes beyond AI-specific semiconductor applications and adopts a broader scope spanning the entire semiconductor value chain — including AI-driven new materials innovation, AI-enhanced manufacturing processes, and foundational technologies such as physical AI that enable practical AI deployment in industrial environments.

The competition is judged by a venture capital panel made up of leaders from the strategic and financial investment community, and the final winner is offered an investment of approximately USD 250,000. Beyond the prize, finalists gain the opportunity to build networks with Lam Research, Lam Capital, institutional and corporate VCs, and industry technology leaders.

Two Korean Companies Among the 10 Finalists

The 2026 final round includes two Korean companies among the 10 finalists. SemiAI provides virtual metrology software for semiconductor manufacturing, and TDS Innovation, Inc. is developing a lateral-growth process and equipment for 2D-material deposition in semiconductor manufacturing. Through this program, Lam Capital is identifying companies with innovative technologies from a global perspective and broadening the opportunities for collaboration so they can grow across the broader semiconductor ecosystem.

Ultimately, the Lam Capital Venture Competition functions as more than a contest — it is a collaboration platform where technology, capital, and industry operations are organically connected. Different technologies and ideas being validated through collaboration and diffused across the industry is itself a core factor in strengthening the competitiveness of the semiconductor ecosystem.