Chip design firm Qualinx has secured 20 million euros in funding from Dutch investors to commercialize its first global navigation satellite system (GNSS) chip for ultra-low-power wireless positioning. Backers of the TU Delft spinoff include Invest-NL, which contributed half the amount, alongside Forward.one, Waterman Ventures and Innovationquarter Capital.
With its digital radio frequency (DRF) technology, Qualinx transfers most of a wireless chip’s analog functions into the digital domain. This reintroduces CMOS scaling benefits to GPS-like and other radios, which increasingly run into analog bottlenecks. DRF functions can be configured in software to precisely tailor the radio’s performance and functionality for each application. For example, the new Dragonfly chip can switch between GPS, Galileo and Beidou with a firmware update. Qualinx also claims up to five times better performance at much lower power and smaller die size.
Production of the 5×5 mm Dragonfly chip, at Globalfoundries’ fab in Dresden, was originally planned for late 2026, but was moved up after the testing phase was completed sooner than expected. Qualinx’s debut product will be showcased this week at CES in Las Vegas. A follow-up funding round is planned for the second half of the year, as the company prepares to scale further.
