APG, on behalf of its pension fund clients ABP and bpfBOUW, has made a co-investment in Nearfield Instruments, a Rotterdam-based company specializing in advanced measurement technology and semiconductor chip testing.
The investment, alongside Dutch venture capital fund Innovation Industries, is part of a funding round of $380 million (Series D in June 2026) that will support Nearfield’s further growth and help meet increasing demand for its advanced chip-testing machines.
Advanced measurement technology for next-generation chips
Nearfield Instruments has developed a technology that enables chips to be inspected for defects during the manufacturing process. Quality control is becoming increasingly important in the semiconductor industry. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving greater demand for chips. At the same time, chips are becoming smaller and their design consists of more complex 3D architecture.
Using its proprietary Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technology, the company’s machines create three-dimensional images of chips at picometer resolution. This enables more accurate measurements than conventional inspection techniques. This is important because a modern semiconductor can contain as many as 100 billion transistors. By identifying defects more accurately, time to market is shortened and yield loss in production can be reduced. As a result, critical raw materials and resources can be used more efficiently.
Attractive returns with clear strategic value
Nearfield Instruments was founded 10 years ago as a spin-off from the research organization TNO in Delft. Since then, the company has grown steadily. Following the latest investment round, the company was valued at $1.6 billion (Series D valuation in June 2026). This places it among the so-called unicorns: privately owned companies valued at more than $1 billion.
The company fits well within APG’s strategy for private companies, combining the potential for attractive returns with clear strategic value. As an investor in Innovation Industries, a leading Dutch deep-tech venture capital fund, APG, on behalf of its clients, gains access to co-investment opportunities such as this one.
Photo by Nearfield Instruments.