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Qualinx

Category: AI Infrastructure

A fabless semiconductor company pioneering ultra-low-power GNSS and IoT sensors through a revolutionary Digital Radio Frequency (DRF) technology that extends battery life by up to 10x. Qualinx was founded in 2015. The company is led by Tom Trill. Based in Delft, Netherlands. Team size: 10-50. Total funding raised: $32.4M. Latest round: Series B (€20.0M, Jan 2024). Key investors include Invest-NL, FORWARD.one, InnovationQuarter, Waterman Ventures.

Founded
2015
Headquarters
Delft, Netherlands
Team size
10-50
Total funding
$32.4M

Value proposition

Reduces GNSS power consumption by 10x compared to industry standards, enabling significantly longer battery life or smaller form factors for connected devices without sacrificing positioning accuracy.

Products and solutions

QLX300+ (World's smallest and most power-efficient GNSS System-on-Chip), QLX3Gx Series (Dual-band GNSS SoC for high-precision positioning, currently sampling), QLX400 (Next-generation integrated GNSS and IoT radio SoC), DRF (Digital Radio Frequency) IP Platform

Unique value

Qualinx replaces traditional, power-hungry analog radio building blocks with discrete-time digital counterparts, allowing radio performance to benefit from modern CMOS scaling.

Target customer

Wearable OEMs (smartwatches, fitness trackers), IoT device manufacturers, logistics and asset tracking providers, and micro-mobility companies.

Industries served

Consumer Electronics (Wearables), Logistics & Supply Chain (Asset Tracking), Internet of Things (IoT), Aerospace & Defense (GNSS Authentication)

Technology advantage

Proprietary DRF architecture enables a software-defined radio with a 10x energy efficiency advantage, multi-constellation support (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou), and the world's smallest GNSS sensor footprint.

How they differentiate

Proprietary Digital Radio Frequency (DRF) technology that replaces traditional analog building blocks with digital counterparts, enabling a 10x reduction in power consumption and seamless scaling with modern CMOS processes.

Main competitors

u-blox, Nordic Semiconductor, Sony Semiconductor (Altair), MediaTek

Key partnerships

TU Delft (Academic spin-off and research partner), EUSPA (EU Agency for the Space Programme) - Partner for low-power GNSS authentication services, Invest-NL & FORWARD.one (Lead strategic investors), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)

Notable customers

EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme), Tier-1 Wearable OEMs (Smartwatches/Fitness Trackers)

Major milestones

Founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Appointed former Intel VP Tom Trill as CEO in 2022 to lead global commercialization, Successfully closed €8.8M Series A funding in February 2023, Closed €20M Series B funding in January 2024 led by Invest-NL, Launched the QLX300+, recognized as the world's smallest and most power-efficient GNSS SoC

Growth metrics

Scaled team to 40+ employees; transitioned from a TU Delft research spin-off to a commercial-stage silicon provider with mass-production capabilities.

Market positioning

Fabless semiconductor disruptor targeting the ultra-low-power wearable and IoT connectivity segments.

Geographic focus

Global (Headquartered in the Netherlands, with leadership presence in the US and a focus on Asian manufacturing/OEM hubs).

Patents and IP

Holds multiple patents in Digital Radio Frequency (DRF) and discrete-time wireless transceivers, originating from the founders' PhD research at TU Delft.

About Tom Trill

Tom Trill is a high-impact semiconductor executive with over 25 years of experience in scaling global technology businesses. Prior to joining Qualinx as CEO in 2022, he served as Vice President and General Manager at Intel Corporation, where he led global sales and marketing for the Programmable Solutions Group (formerly Altera). His career includes senior leadership roles at Altera and various silicon startups, with a proven track record in commercializing disruptive wireless and semiconductor technologies.

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