Indice Semiconductor raises $6M to launch energy-saving chips

Indice Semiconductor has raised $6 million to fund global rollout of its energy-saving chips.

The company makes mixed signal power control chips and conversion integrated circuits. They are used in a wide range of applications, including light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, high-quality audio, and electric vehicles.

Indice is also relocating its headquarters from Melbourne, Australia, to Tualatin, Ore. Allen Alley, former chief executive of Pixelworks and managing partner of The Alley Group, led the round and has joined as executive chairman. Aaron Brown, chief executive of Indice, said that the greatest source of clean energy is to use less of it. He said that we waste too much energy through inefficient conversion and transmission of electricity.

Indice will use the money to expand its sales and operations. Indice has created a technology dubbed Continuous Sigma, a new encoding method that the company says will revolutionize performance and efficiency for audio amplifiers, Internet-of-things devices, and electric vehicles.

“Indice has a proven track record,” said Alley in a statement. “Since founding in 2008, we have shipped nearly one million chips and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of the company’s technological applications.”

Indice will keep its research and development office in Melbourne and will open customer support operations in Europe and Asia.

“Our unique, patent-pending Continuous Sigma encoding method enables higher performance and lower power consumption than traditional technology,” Indice CTO James Hamond said in a statement. “To demonstrate our capability, we are excited to announce we have entered the $1 million Google Little Box Challenge to shrink a 2 kilowatt solar panel inverter from the size of a toaster oven to size of a large coffee cup.”

Indice has 17 employees. Rivals include Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, and Cirrus Logic. Indice was started by Brown, a seasoned chip engineer, and Hamond, a system architect.