• Saudi-based chip design startup Rimal Semiconductors has secured a bridge funding round from Keheilan Asset Management and an undisclosed regional investor to expand its chip design operations and global partnerships. The funding amount was not disclosed.
• Founded in 2025 by Houssam Salem, the startup operates under a fabless semiconductor model, designing chips while outsourcing manufacturing to global foundries across Taiwan, Korea, and China, with discussions underway with US-based manufacturers.
• The company plans to use its diversified manufacturing network and Saudi-owned intellectual property to supply multiple markets globally, with early contracts in sectors including defence, power grids, and data centres, and a distribution agreement covering Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and the UAE.

Press release:

Rimal Semiconductors, a Saudi chip design startup, has secured a bridge funding round from Keheilan Asset Management and an undisclosed regional investor as it looks to strengthen its position within the global semiconductor supply chain.

The funding will support the company’s strategy of building a fabless semiconductor business that designs chips while outsourcing manufacturing to international foundries. Rimal currently maintains manufacturing partnerships across Taiwan, Korea, and China, and is in discussions with US-based foundries to further diversify its production network.

The company positions its approach as a way to navigate the increasingly fragmented semiconductor industry, where geopolitical tensions between the United States and China are shaping supply chains and restricting market access for many companies.

By maintaining Saudi ownership of its intellectual property while distributing manufacturing across multiple global partners, Rimal aims to supply its chip designs to markets worldwide regardless of manufacturing location.

The startup is also finalising a distribution agreement with a regional distributor operating across Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and the UAE, supported by local engineering teams that provide technical support to clients in each market.

Rimal currently has six contracts in the pipeline, including one with a major Egyptian corporation, with projects spanning defence systems, power grid infrastructure, and data centre technologies.