Semiconductor AI Startup SixSense Raises $8.5M for Real-Time Defect Detection.

SixSense, a female-founded semiconductor AI startup, has raised $8.5 million in Series A funding. The startup's AI-powered platform helps semiconductor manufacturers predict and detect potential chip defects on production lines in real-time. The platform addresses a fundamental challenge in semiconductor manufacturing: converting raw production data into real-time insights to prevent quality issues and improve yield.

Singapore-based startup SixSense has raised $8.5 million in Series A funding, bringing its total funding to around $12 million. The round was led by Peak XV’s Surge, with participation from Alpha Intelligence Capital, Febe, and other investors. SixSense is developing an AI-powered platform to help semiconductor manufacturers predict and detect potential chip defects on production lines in real-time [1].

The platform, co-founded by engineers Akanksha Jagwani (CTO) and Avni Agarwal (CEO), aims to address a fundamental challenge in semiconductor manufacturing: converting raw production data into real-time insights to prevent quality issues and improve yield. Despite the sheer volume of data generated on the fab floor, the co-founders noted a surprising lack of real-time intelligence [1].

SixSense’s AI platform provides engineers with early warnings to address potential issues before they escalate, featuring capabilities such as defect detection, root cause analysis, and failure prediction. The platform is designed to be used by process engineers rather than data scientists, allowing them to fine-tune models using their own fab data and deploy them in under two days without writing a single line of code [1].

The competitive landscape includes in-house engineering teams using tools like Cognex and Halcon, inspection equipment makers integrating AI into their systems, and startups including Landing.ai and Robovision. SixSense’s AI platform is already in use at major semiconductor manufacturers like GlobalFoundries and JCET, with more than 100 million chips processed to date. Customers have reported up to 30% faster production cycles, a 1-2% boost in yield, and a 90% reduction in manual inspection work [1].

The geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China are reshaping where chips are made, driving new manufacturing investments across the globe. SixSense is well-positioned to benefit from this trend, as it is based in the region and many new facilities are starting fresh, open to AI-native approaches [1].

References:
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/31/female-founded-semiconductor-ai-startup-sixsense-raises-funding/