EnSilica receives funding from UK Space Agency for satellite broadband terminal chips

Logo: EnSilica

EnSilica, a chip maker of mixed-signal application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), has been awarded funding from the UK Space Agency under its Connectivity in Low-Earth Orbit (C-LEO) program. Following a competitive selection process, EnSilica has been awarded £10.38 million ($12.8 million) throughout the next three years for a development project pioneered by EnSilica.

“This is a great opportunity to accelerate our chipset development, enabling us to extend our portfolio of chips for the satellite broadband market with a focus on providing a complete solution for user terminals while reducing cost and power,“ said Paul Morris, EnSilica vice president of RF and communications business unit.

EnSilica provided its application with supporting letters of interest from potential lead customers to develop a family of semiconductor chips to support future generations of mass market satellite broadband user terminals. According to the company, the terminals will be capable of connecting with various satellite constellations and will leverage advanced semiconductor technology. In addition, the project will provide a resilient source of chips, which will be independent and not tied to specific satellite service operators.

The UK Space Agency’s C-LEO program was launched in 2024 and is designed to ensure that the UK space sector remains competitive in the rapidly evolving global market for low-earth orbit constellations. With a total funding pool of up to £160 million ($198 million) available over the next four years, the C-LEO program supports the development of smarter satellites, enhanced hardware, artificial intelligence-driven data delivery and improved inter-satellite connections.

This new project builds on EnSilica’s long history of collaboration with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, alongside other key satellite communications partnerships and the company’s own investment in the technology.