Technology startup NorcSi has raised €10.7 million in a new financing round to advance its development of pure silicon battery anodes, a move the company claims will mark a breakthrough for the European battery supply chain. The funds will be used primarily to establish a roll-to-roll production line for silicon anodes, moving NorcSi from pre-series lab production to automated industrial manufacturing.
The investment round includes existing backers Millennium Venture Capital AG and IBG-Risikokapitalfonds IV, managed by bmp Ventures AG, along with new investor European Battery Research Institute GmbH. “We are the first company globally to transition from pre-series production of individual anodes to automated roll-to-roll production of pure silicon anodes,” NorcSi stated, describing the shift as a “milestone for the battery world.”
Silicon has long been seen as a promising material to replace graphite in battery anodes due to its ability to store up to ten times more lithium ions. According to NorcSi, its patented flash lamp-based process stabilizes silicon’s problematic expansion and contraction during charge cycles, traditionally a key hurdle for commercial viability. “NorcSi relies on the coating and tempering of copper foils with silicon in a continuous process in which high-performance flash lamps create a unique nanostructure that forms a stable bond between copper and silicon,” the company wrote.
Co-founder Udo Reichmann stated, “With our industrial roll-to-roll process, we’ve solved a critical issue that has limited silicon’s potential for years. This opens the door for mass adoption and significant performance gains in EV batteries.” According to NorcSi, using silicon anodes could nearly double battery capacity—from 80 kWh to 145 kWh in a mid-sized EV—boosting range to over 1,000 kilometres and cutting charging times from 26 to just 6 minutes for a 20–80% top-up.
Construction is already underway for the new production line at the Weinberg Campus Innovation Hub in Halle. The facility, featuring a 400 mm roll width, is expected to start operations by spring 2026. Initial output will support high-performance applications and automotive field tests. NorcSi, founded in 2020 and based on research dating back to 2013 at the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf and TU Bergakademie Freiberg, says the facility will help establish a scalable, locally rooted silicon anode supply for Europe’s growing battery sector.