LOS GATOS, California, April 24, 2026, 12:05 PDT
- Atomera has taken its collaboration with Synopsys a step further, now working together on gallium nitride device modeling for RF and power chips.
- ATOM jumped roughly 49% by midday, putting the company’s market cap near $288 million.
- Atomera is set to report first-quarter results on May 5, and investors are still watching for any hint of commercial revenue.
Shares of Atomera Incorporated shot higher Friday, climbing to $9.20—up $3.01, roughly 49%—after the semiconductor materials company announced it’s broadening its tie-up with Synopsys to model gallium nitride chip devices for radio-frequency and power uses. Trading volume crossed 24 million shares, according to the most recent midday numbers.
This shift carries weight for Atomera, which remains focused on expanding licensing and royalty streams from its materials technology, rather than leaning solely on engineering or software income. In its most recent annual report, the company posted 2025 revenue of just $65,000—down sharply from $135,000 the year before—along with a net loss hovering near $20.2 million.
That schedule lines up Synopsys’s work for investors to see just ahead of Atomera’s first-quarter results, due after the bell on May 5. Atomera will hold a webinar at 2 p.m. Pacific that same day.
Atomera said it’s ramping up efforts with Synopsys, tapping Synopsys’ Sentaurus TCAD tools to build new calibration methods and so-called “calibrated TCAD decks” for gallium nitride devices. TCAD—short for technology computer-aided design—lets chip engineers simulate how devices will behave and map out manufacturing steps, all before they shell out for expensive fab work. Business Wire
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a semiconductor favored for high power efficiency and high-frequency applications. Here, the goal is to give customers a look at how Atomera’s materials might perform in power and RF chips—before they commit to trying it on their own production lines.
Rahul Deokar, an executive at Synopsys, described the expanded partnership as aiming to “advance GaN TCAD simulations” and improve device efficiency. Atomera CEO Scott Bibaud termed the move “a natural next step” in how the two firms work together. Business Wire
Atomera’s main offering, Mears Silicon Technology (MST), is a quantum-engineered thin film aimed at boosting both transistor performance and energy efficiency. The company maintains that MST is compatible with the equipment chipmakers already have in place—a notable point, as new materials typically hit resistance when fabs need to overhaul existing setups.
The backdrop: Synopsys operates in electronic design automation, sharing the space with Cadence Design Systems and Siemens EDA. Their tools form a central link in the semiconductor design chain. Last year, Reuters noted that export controls on chip-design software applied to all three: Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA.
The announcement stopped short of disclosing financial details, production targets, or any royalty timeline. Atomera, for its part, has cautioned in filings that deals with customers don’t always progress to broader licensing or royalty arrangements—and product qualification and licensing processes can drag on and rack up expenses.
At this point, investors are betting that Atomera’s Synopsys channel could open more doors for chipmakers pursuing GaN. The key question still hangs—will the modeling efforts actually translate into license fees, manufacturing deals at scale, and downstream royalties?