What the business is
Sheffield chip company that designs ICENI processors with memory safety built into their architecture, based on the CHERI framework.
The bet
Memory safety built into the chip, using CHERI, will be needed because software patching alone cannot stop the attacks AI makes easier.
Starting capital
£5M led by PXN Ventures and Mercia Ventures (managers of NPIF II), with Osney Capital, Black Opal Ventures and private investors.
How it started
SCI Semiconductor was founded in 2022 by industry veteran Haydn Povey, Silicon Valley executive Krishna Anne and Microsoft Research specialist David Chisnall, joined by academics from Cambridge and Manchester. It unveiled its ICENI chip earlier in 2026.
What happened
The ICENI range is the first chips based on CHERI, a government-backed memory-safe framework, and SCI was appointed a core supplier in the UK government's Accelerated CHERI Adoption Programme. It has fabricated its first devices, secured orders worth over £2 million, won government contracts totalling £7.7 million and agreed partnerships with Google Research and Microsoft.
How it ended up
On 9 September 2026 SCI announced the £5M round to step up production and develop a new generation of UK chips. It has 35 staff in Sheffield and Cambridge and plans 15 more jobs in the next year.
What has to be true
AI tools that find deep flaws in systems could drive a new wave of attacks on critical infrastructure, defence and medical sectors.
The UK NCSC urged companies to adopt memory-safe technology because patching alone may not be enough.
The EU Cyber Resilience Act comes into force in September, creating reporting requirements the chips help meet.
Government backing for CHERI gave SCI a standard and an adoption programme to build on.
What can be applied
A security-by-hardware bet can ride a government standard and a regulatory deadline, but it still has to be proven in volume production with paying customers.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-09 SCI had its first fabricated devices, 35 staff and a plan to hire 15 more, but order volume and production scale were still ahead. Demand claims and the 70% cyberattack figure came from the company and the article.
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