Alcyon Photonics and the EIC Accelerator: Light Chips in Madrid

Photonic integrated circuits process light on a chip, and Alcyon Photonics sells the pre-designed pieces that go into them. The Madrid company, founded in 2018, uses sub-wavelength grating designs, structures smaller than the wavelength of light that behave like engineered materials, to make components it says perform better and more robustly than standard ones while using normal semiconductor fabrication, according to its EIC project.

The European Innovation Council granted €1,799,999 towards SPHUN, a €2.6 million project from December 2022 to September 2025, to build a digital platform with "an extended library of innovative photonic building blocks". The final report says the Alcyon toolkit was released, two IP libraries were made public, and the company partnered with four foundries, "two of the top 10 semiconductor foundries worldwide". In February 2025 the EIC Fund joined CDTI Innovación and BeAble Capital in a €1.5 million round. According to eInforma, Alcyon had 11 employees in 2025, micro-enterprise revenue and a negative result.

Where Alcyon Photonics Stands Now

In April 2026 Alcyon partnered with Sofics, a supplier of electrical chip interfaces, so the two could offer complete systems to customers building both electrical and photonic chips. eInforma reports that sales held steady against the previous year and that the company's return on assets was minus 4.54% in 2025. No customer names or sales figures are published.

The Technology: Designing With Sub-Wavelength Structures

Alcyon's components are validated at partner foundries and delivered as IP blocks that chip designers drop into their layouts. The report describes behavioural models tested experimentally across several foundries, automated simulation, and a "Layout Creator Module" for scripting layouts. One of its public libraries was integrated into Luceda's IPKISS design platform. The company lists applications in AI, quantum computing, communications, aerospace and telemedicine.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

SPHUN promised a platform of metamaterial building blocks with better performance and lower cost than market alternatives. The platform and libraries were released and foundries signed on. The report gives no performance comparison with competing components, no customer count and no revenue. CORDIS still lists the project as signed.

1. Digital design platformDeliveredAlcyon toolkit released.
2. IP building-block libraryDeliveredTwo public libraries.
3. Foundry validationDeliveredFour foundries.
4. Commercial tractionNot shownMicro-enterprise revenue.

The Money

The EIC grant was larger than the company's only disclosed equity round. Alcyon's accounts are filed in Madrid; the public summary shows a loss and revenue at micro-enterprise level, but not the amounts. How much of the €1.5 million round came from the EIC Fund was not disclosed.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Alcyon is a Spanish supplier of photonic design IP working with some of the world's largest foundries. The EIC paid for its platform and bought into the company; the business built on it is still very small.

The Verdict

Alcyon Photonics and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.