Targeting space tech, fabless design expert EnSilica’s Cambridge move taps UK innovation power to boost RF design and ride the satellite communications boom.
EnSilica, a UK-based chip design specialist, has launched a new engineering hub in Cambridge. The facility, which opened with a team of six engineers—four of whom hold PhDs—aims to strengthen the company’s capabilities in mmWave and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit design.
These technologies are increasingly central to satellite communications and next-generation connectivity systems. According to the company, the hub marks a strategic expansion into one of the country’s prominent semiconductor regions.
“This move is not just about physical presence; it is about deepening our technical footprint,” said Ian Lankshear, EnSilica’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Cambridge provides access to top-tier engineering talent and an active semiconductor community, which are vital to our long-term growth,” he said.
The expansion has been partly funded by a UK Space Agency C-LEO programme grant and comes amid rising demand for custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), particularly in the aerospace and communications markets.
EnSilica’s new hub adds to its existing UK design centres in Abingdon, Sheffield, and Bristol, and complements international operations in India and Brazil.
Lankshear noted the challenge of recruiting technical talent in the UK semiconductor sector, calling the successful hiring “a significant milestone” at a time of sector-wide shortages.
“We are positioning ourselves for sustained growth across strategic sectors by investing now in talent and infrastructure,” he said.
