Atum Works
Gigascale 3D nanomanufacturing for semiconductors
Website: https://atum.works
Cover Block
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Atum Works |
| Tagline | Gigascale 3D nanomanufacturing for semiconductors |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, CA, USA |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | B2B |
| Industry | Deeptech |
| Technology | Hardware |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Founding Team | Co-Founders (3+) |
| Funding Label | Undisclosed |
Links
- Website: https://atum.works
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Y Combinator company profile.
The Company in Brief
Atum Works incorporated in 2024, a deeptech startup based in Mountain View, California, founded by three engineers with backgrounds at Caltech and NASA [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. The company's formation was driven by a shared vision to apply advanced 3D printing principles to semiconductor manufacturing, an ambition recognized with NASA awards for Most Visionary Concept and Best Product Development prior to the startup's launch [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Key milestones have unfolded rapidly. The team built its first 3D nano-printer prototype and established a manufacturing facility in Mountain View shortly after founding [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. In Spring 2025, Atum Works was accepted into the Y Combinator accelerator program [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. The company also reported securing letters of intent for co-development, including one with NVIDIA, and plans to sell its first products within the 2025 calendar year [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key operational claims are sourced solely from the company's Y Combinator profile and lack independent verification.
What They Have Built
The company's core proposition is a hardware system for semiconductor manufacturing, described as a "3D nano-printer" intended to fabricate multi-material, three-dimensional structures directly onto wafers [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. This positions it as a potential alternative or complement to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, with a claimed cost advantage of one-tenth that of traditional 2D lithography processes [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. The target resolution is sub-100 nanometers.
Public information suggests the technology is at a functional prototype stage. The company reports having built its first 3D nano-printer and established a manufacturing facility in Mountain View, California [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. A key early validation signal is a letter of intent for co-development with NVIDIA [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Technical differentiation
The system's proposed ability to create "arbitrary 3D metal structures" suggests a departure from the planar, layer-by-layer patterning of lithography, potentially enabling novel chip architectures like monolithic 3D integration [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Development wedge
The initial application appears focused on printing "future devices for advanced chips," which may include specialized interconnects, sensors, or other components [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core claims sourced from the company's Y Combinator profile; the NVIDIA LOI and prototype status are unverified by independent reporting.
Market Size and Demand
Atum Works is entering a semiconductor manufacturing market where the physical limits of traditional 2D lithography are increasingly seen as a primary bottleneck for continued performance gains. The company's thesis is that a new scaling law will be required, shifting from planar transistor density to three-dimensional integration [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Analysts can anchor against the broader semiconductor fabrication equipment market. The global market for semiconductor manufacturing equipment was valued at approximately $109 billion in 2024 [SEMI, 2024]. Industry roadmaps, including those from the IEEE International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS), explicitly call for advancements in 3D integration, heterogeneous packaging, and new interconnect technologies as essential paths forward [IEEE IRDS, 2023].
| Market Segment | 2024 Size (Estimated) |
|---|---|
| Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment | $109 billion |
| Wafer Fab Equipment (WFE) | $90 billion |
| Advanced Packaging Equipment | $7.8 billion |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is based on analogous, well-established industry reports.
Who Else Is Fighting for This
Atum Works enters a competitive arena by proposing a new, adjacent manufacturing paradigm. The competitive landscape for 3D nanomanufacturing is currently fragmented. Atum Works does not compete with ASML or Nikon in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography for leading-edge 2D transistor patterning. Instead, its initial wedge appears aimed at the 3D integration and advanced packaging space, where incumbents like Applied Materials and Lam Research provide tools for deposition and etching [PUBLIC].
The company's claimed defensible edge today rests on its founding team's technical credentials and early validation. The team's background from Caltech and NASA provides a talent moat for deep physics and systems engineering [Y Combinator, Spring 2025]. The reported letter of intent for co-development with NVIDIA, if executed, would be a significant channel and validation advantage [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Landscape analysis is inferred from industry structure; specific competitor claims are not publicly corroborated.
Opportunity
If Atum Works can deliver on its core technical promise, the prize is a foundational role in the next scaling law for semiconductors. The headline opportunity is to become the de facto standard for 3D nanoscale additive manufacturing. Evidence that this outcome is reachable includes the team's NASA awards for visionary concept and product development [Y Combinator, Spring 2025] and their reported acquisition of a co-development LOI with NVIDIA [Y Combinator, Spring 2025].
| Scenario | What happens |
|---|---|
| Foundry Partnership | Atum's printer is adopted as a specialty tool within a major semiconductor foundry's advanced packaging or interposer line. |
| New Device Enabler | The technology unlocks a novel chip architecture that becomes essential for next-generation AI hardware. |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core opportunity claims are sourced solely from the company's Y Combinator profile. Team accolades are corroborated by Forbes [2025].
Sources
- [Y Combinator, Spring 2025] Atum Works: Gigascale Nanomanufacturing | https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/atum-works
- [Crunchbase] Atum Works - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/atum-works
- [SEMI, 2024] SEMI Reports 2024 Global Semiconductor Equipment Sales of $109 Billion | https://www.semi.org/en/news-media-press/semi-press-releases/2025-global-semiconductor-equipment-sales-forecast
- [IEEE IRDS, 2023] IEEE International Roadmap for Devices and Systems | https://irds.ieee.org/editions/2023
- [Gartner, 2024] Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Revenue to Decline 2.8% in 2024 | https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-07-10-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-revenue-to-decline-2-percent-in-2024
- [Yole Group, 2024] Advanced Packaging Equipment Market 2024 | https://www.yolegroup.com/product/report/advanced-packaging-equipment-market-2024
- [Forbes, 2025] 30 Under 30 Science 2026: New Discoveries From The Cosmos To The Nanoscale | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2025/12/02/30-under-30-science-2026-new-discoveries-from-the-stars-to-the-nanoscale
Articles about Atum Works
- Atum Works Aims to Print the Next Dimension of Compute — A Caltech and NASA engineering team, fresh from Y Combinator, is building a 3D nano-printer to slash semiconductor manufacturing costs.