Paris, 8 January 2025 – Racine advised NanoXplore, a company specialising in electronics for the space industry, on raising €20 million from MBDA and the Defence Innovation Fund, which is managed by Bpifrance. This strategic investment will enable NanoXplore to accelerate its diversification into the defence sector and reinforce its commitment to promoting European technological sovereignty.

Founded in 2010, NanoXplore is a French company that specialises in fabless semiconductors. It designs radiation-hardened FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) for use in environments requiring high reliability, particularly in the aerospace industry. Several major European space programmes already use the company’s solutions, which offer a sovereign alternative to non-European components.

The €20 million fundraising marks a new stage in NanoXplore’s development. The funds will support the development of a new generation of components geared towards defence applications, as well as a targeted external growth strategy in Europe, with the aim of consolidating the European industrial base in critical microelectronics.

This transaction also consolidates NanoXplore’s position at the heart of discussions surrounding European electronic sovereignty. With its 100% European supply chain and ITAR-free approach, NanoXplore meets the growing demand for security, resilience, and technological autonomy in the space and defence sectors.

Racine assisted NanoXplore with a team comprising: Bruno Laffont (partner) and Joséphine Combret (associate) on M&A aspects, Quentin Cournot (partner) on tax aspects, and Charles Bouffier (partner) and Yibing Zhou (associate) on intellectual property aspects.

BPI France and MBDA were advised by Chammas & Marcheteau.