Tignis

What Tignis does

Tignis is a Seattle-based software company that develops AI-powered process control and analytics solutions for semiconductor manufacturing. The company's product portfolio is built around the PAICe Digital Twin Platform, comprising PAICe Monitor (AI/ML-based real-time process monitoring and anomaly detection), PAICe Maker (prescriptive analytics and manufacturing optimization), and the patent-pending DTQL scripting language for custom analytics workflows. The software is deployed directly on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and layered on existing production processes, serving top-five global semiconductor equipment manufacturers as well as semiconductor fabricators. The technology is differentiated by its equipment-level integration, structured time-series data analytics capabilities, and proprietary scripting framework for advanced process optimization.

The company operates a B2B enterprise software model with subscription/recurring revenue from software licenses to semiconductor customers, supplemented by direct enterprise field sales and engagement through industry events and semiconductor trade conferences. Tignis was venture-backed prior to its acquisition by Cohu, Inc., a publicly traded semiconductor test equipment supplier, raising approximately $15.7 million across four funding rounds between 2018 and 2022, including a $1 million investment from BMNT in August 2021 and a $7.2 million Series A led by DN Capital in May 2022. Founded in 2017 by Jon Herlocker (President & CEO) and led with COO Matt McLaughlin, Tignis maintained a small team (11-50 employees) focused on product development and customer execution.

In December 2024, Cohu, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Tignis to expand into the estimated $2.6 billion semiconductor process control market and add advanced AI/ML capabilities to its existing DI-Core software platform. The transaction, funded with cash on hand, was expected to close in January 2025, making Cohu the parent company of Tignis and integrating the PAICe platform into Cohu's broader test handler, ATE, and inspection equipment portfolio serving automotive, computing, consumer, industrial, mobile, and IoT semiconductor end-markets.

Name

Tignis

Legal name

TIGNIS, INC.

Website

https://tignis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tignis is a Seattle-based AI process control and analytics software provider for semiconductor manufacturing, selling the PAICe Monitor, PAICe Maker, and patent-pending DTQL platform via subscription to top-five global semiconductor equipment manufacturers before its acquisition by Cohu, Inc. in early 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Process Control Software

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

Keywords

• Semiconductor process control
• AI manufacturing analytics
• Fabrication yield optimization
• Digital twin platform
• Equipment process automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Analytics Platform: AI-powered process control and analytics software sold to semiconductor manufacturers and equipment companies. Revenue derived from software licenses and possibly related services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Tignis develops AI-powered process control and analytics software for semiconductor manufacturing, delivered through the PAICe Digital Twin Platform. The platform includes PAICe Monitor for real-time process monitoring and anomaly detection, and PAICe Maker for prescriptive analytics and manufacturing optimization, both powered by the proprietary patent-pending DTQL scripting language. The software is deployed directly on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and layered onto existing processes to enable automated, AI-driven process control.

Product overview

Tignis offers an AI-powered process control and analytics software portfolio for semiconductor manufacturing, built around the PAICe Digital Twin Platform. The platform comprises two primary solutions: PAICe Monitor (real-time process monitoring and anomaly detection) and PAICe Maker (prescriptive analytics and optimization), powered by the proprietary DTQL scripting language. These solutions are deployed directly on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and layered on existing processes to enable AI-driven process control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAICe Monitor: AI-powered process control and analytics-based monitoring solution for semiconductor manufacturing.
• PAICe Maker

Products and services

• PAICe Monitor AI-powered real-time process monitoring and anomaly detection solution for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Provides operators with real-time analytics to identify and address process deviations quickly, deployed directly on manufacturing equipment and layered on existing processes. Targeted at semiconductor equipment manufacturers and fabricators.
• PAICe Maker Prescriptive analytics and manufacturing optimization solution within the PAICe platform that enables data-driven decision making and process improvement workflows. Leverages the proprietary patent-pending DTQL scripting language for advanced analytics, targeted at semiconductor equipment manufacturers and fabricators seeking yield and productivity improvements.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered primary and minor.

• Cohu, Inc.primaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Cohu, Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tignis to enhance its data analytics and AI/ML platform. The acquisition enabled Cohu to expand into the estimated $2.6 billion semiconductor process control market with Tignis's PAICe Monitor and PAICe Maker solutions. Transaction expected to close in January 2025.
• H4XLabsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2021Tignis completed an enterprise accelerator program with H4XLabs to promote the growth of its first commercial product.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PDF Solutions: PDF Solutions provides analytics and yield management software for semiconductor manufacturing, including its Exensio and Cimetrix product families used by fabs and equipment OEMs. Like Tignis, it sells AI/ML-driven process control and analytics layered on existing manufacturing workflows, making it the closest direct competitor.
• proteanTecs: proteanTecs offers AI-based chip and system monitoring, using machine learning on telemetry from semiconductors in production and in the field. It overlaps with Tignis in applying ML to semiconductor manufacturing data for yield, reliability, and process visibility, and sells into overlapping fab and equipment customers.
• Onto Innovation: Onto Innovation provides process control metrology, inspection, and software analytics used by semiconductor manufacturers and equipment makers. It targets many of the same yield and process optimization problems as Tignis, with a more established install base across fabs.

Broad incumbents

• KLA Corporation: KLA is the dominant incumbent in semiconductor process control and yield management, offering inspection, metrology, and analytics across the fab. It competes with Tignis at the analytics layer and is a key reference point for how AI process control could be monetized at scale.
• Applied Materials: Applied Materials is one of the largest semiconductor equipment companies and offers AI-driven process control and analytics as part of its broader equipment portfolio. It sells into the same top-five equipment OEM and fab customer base and represents both a partner and competitive threat to Tignis.
• Lam Research: Lam Research is a top semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment vendor that has been investing in software, sensors, and AI for advanced process control. It is a likely customer and competitor to Tignis in deposition and etch process control.
• Hitachi High-Tech: Hitachi High-Tech supplies metrology, inspection, and process control systems for semiconductor manufacturing and has expanded its analytics and software offerings. It is comparable as a broad incumbent pursuing AI-enabled process control in fabs.
• ASML: ASML is the dominant lithography vendor and increasingly sells software and analytics around its systems, including yield and process control offerings. It is comparable to Tignis as a top semiconductor equipment company integrating AI/analytics into its installed base.
• Tokyo Electron: Tokyo Electron (TEL) is a major semiconductor equipment supplier across deposition, etch, and lithography tracking, and has been building out its analytics and process control software capabilities. It overlaps with Tignis on AI-driven process optimization for fab customers.
• Siemens Digital Industries Software: Siemens provides industrial automation, digital twin, and process control software (e.g., Opcenter, Xcelerator) used across advanced manufacturing including semiconductors. It is comparable as a broader industrial software platform player encroaching on semiconductor process control analytics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TignisInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/TignisInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tignis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tignis