Overview
It was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from KU Leuven and SCK CEN, the Belgian nuclear research centre, by Jens Verbeeck and Ying Cao, who developed a radiation-hardening-by-design methodology during their PhD research in the MICAS research group at KU Leuven. Verbeeck is chief executive officer and Cao is chief technology officer. The chips are grouped into product families for vision, timing, motion control, AI processing, communication and power, and are specified to withstand up to 100 Mrad total ionising dose. Magics raised 2.4 million euros in 2021 from Invest for Jobs, the Gemma Frisius Fund and KU Leuven, and 5.7 million euros in April 2025, when the Flanders Future Tech Fund managed by PMV joined. A second closing in October 2025 brought that round to 9.7 million euros and was led by SC One, a vehicle of the Schaubroeck family and the Cipal intercommunal.
Funding history
- 2021 round: 2.4M EUR led by Invest for Jobs, with the Gemma Frisius Fund and KU Leuven
- April 2025 round: 5.7M EUR with the Flanders Future Tech Fund managed by PMV joining Invest for Jobs, KU Leuven Research & Development, the Gemma Frisius Fund and the founders
- October 2025 second closing: 4M EUR led by SC One, bringing the round to 9.7M EUR, with PMV, KU Leuven Research & Development, the Gemma Frisius Fund, Invest for Jobs, SCK CEN and the founders following on
Stated facts & numbers
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: Cipalstraat 3, 2440 Geel
- CEO: Jens Verbeeck, co-founder
- CTO: Ying Cao, co-founder
- COO: Hagen Marien
- CFO: Marijke Vanderstukken
- Employees: 42 full-time
- Origin: Spin-off from KU Leuven and SCK CEN
- Business model: Off-the-shelf chips, custom IC design services and IP licensing
- Product families: Vision, Time, Motion, AI, Communication, Power
- Markets: Space, nuclear, defence and aerospace
- Customers and partners: European Space Agency, ITER, Fusion for Energy, Veolia Nuclear Solutions
- US office: Osceola County, Florida, opened August 2026
- EU funding: Selected for the EIC Accelerator in February 2026 with the HEROS project
Key people
In the news
- Last week, Magics joined 12 other European deep-tech companies in Silicon Valley as part of the European Innovation Council's Global Business Expansion Programme. Representing Magics, Anton Quiroz and Ying Cao presented our radiation-hardened CMOS technologies and took part in a week of investor meetings, industry exchanges and visits to leading technology organisations across the San Francisco Bay Area. From pitching to US investors to connecting with potential customers and strategic partners, the mission provided valuable
- Last week, Magics joined 12 other European deep-tech companies in Silicon Valley as part of the European Innovation Council's Global Business Expansion Programme. Representing Magics, Anton Quiroz and Ying Cao presented our radiation-hardened CMOS technologies and took part in a week of investor meetings, industry exchanges and visits to leading technology organisations across the San Francisco Bay Area. From pitching to US investors to connecting with potential customers and strategic partners, the mission provided valuable
- Magics is expanding its distributor network in Asia. 🇰🇷 @Marubeni Utility Services, already our distributor in Japan, will now also support Magics in South Korea for the nuclear market. This strengthens local access to our radiation-tolerant IC portfolio for teams working on critical electronics, monitoring systems, instrumentation, and reliable architectures for nuclear environments. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Marubeni Utility Services and supporting customers in South Korea. 🔗
- What if a GNSS-disciplined oscillator didn't need an analog control loop? Most disciplined oscillators rely on analog components, including DACs, control voltages, and VCXOs, each introducing additional design complexity and qualification effort for space missions. Our latest in-depth article explores a different approach. Using just two space-grade CMOS ICs, the MAG-TDC00002 and MAG-PLL000X2, a complete digital disciplining loop measures timing errors at 8 ps resolution and steers the local oscillator over SPI, eliminating the
- Pleased to be among the selected companies at HighTech Venture Days 2026 in Dresden, where our CEO Jens Verbeeck presented Magics’ technology to an international network of investors and industry partners. A valuable opportunity to connect with the European deep-tech ecosystem and explore new opportunities for collaboration. #HTVD2026 #DeepTech #Semiconductors #Magics
- We are pleased to be among the 13 companies selected for the European Innovation Council’s Business Mission to Silicon Valley, connecting with US investors, industry partners, and research institutions. A valuable opportunity to explore new collaborations in the US and expand the reach of our space-grade CMOS technologies and critical electronics for space and nuclear applications. Thank you to the European Innovation Council for making this initiative possible. #EIC #SiliconValley #DeepTech #Semiconductors #Magics
- We're looking forward to #SpAIce 2026, where @Toon Vinck will present our latest work on the relationship between AI model optimization and fault tolerance in space applications. The paper explores an important question for onboard AI systems: does making a neural network smaller compromise its reliability in radiation environments? Our findings show that while structured pruning reduces redundancy, the resulting gains in efficiency can offset the increased fault sensitivity by reducing exposure to radiation-induced events. The
- We're looking forward to #SpAIce 2026, where Toon Vinck will present our latest work on the relationship between AI model optimization and fault tolerance in space applications. The paper explores an important question for onboard AI systems: does making a neural network smaller compromise its reliability in radiation environments? Our findings show that while structured pruning reduces redundancy, the resulting gains in efficiency can offset the increased fault sensitivity by reducing exposure to radiation-induced events. The
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