Nanotech chip timing co. Sand 9 raises $8M

Quartz timing is old hat for wristwatches and clocks, but surprisingly enough, it’s still used in state-of-the-art computers. Sand 9 is the latest in a new generation of startups that wants to update timing for silicon chips.

If they’re successful, the cost and form factor for chips could shrink, and their uses could expand — which would be a significant boon for compact mobile devices. However, Sand 9 has plenty of competition, including Multigig, which just raised $12.5 million, Discera, which took $17.5 million last year, and Silicon Clocks, which recently took on $8 million more in a tranche of funding.

Sand 9′s competing technology uses components called “nanomechanical resonators” to increase device performance. The resonators create a mechanical signal that can then be converted into an electronic signal in the gigahertz range, according to a company spokesperson.

The $8 million funding is the company’s first. Flybridge Capital Partners led, and was joined by General Catalyst Partners and Khosla Ventures, which provided Sand 9′s $2 million seed funding. The company is based in Boston, Mass.

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