A spinout of CEA, one of the institutes that forms part of Paris-Saclay, Kalray has developed manycore microprocessors that require only low levels of energy.

Kalray, a France-based microprocessor manufacturer backed by the state-owned investment bank Bpifrance, secured $26m in capital yesterday from investors including CEA Investissement.

CEA Investissement, the investment arm of research institute Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), was joined by Safran Corporate Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of aerospace and defence company Safran.

Pengpai, Ace Management, Eurekap, Héléa Financière and Incocap Gestion also contributed to the funding round.

Kalray was spun out of CEA in 2008. The company is working on microprocessors that feature a massively parallel multi-core architecture that increases a processor’s real-time computing capabilities while maintaining very low energy consumption.

The microprocessors are aimed at sectors such as aeronautics, defence and autonomous vehicles as well as data storage acceleration and high-speed networks.

The money will support an accelerated commercialisation of the company’s existing products and the development of its third-generation microprocessor, to be released next year.

The company also hopes to drive recruitment, particularly with a view of strengthening its engineering team in Grenoble, and to boost its commercial network internationally. In total, the company expects to hire 15 new staff.

The company has raised $65m in funding to date, according to the latest press release. Bpifrance is an existing shareholder, according to the same release, though details about its involvement could not be ascertained.

According to deals database Pitchbook, CEA Investissement previously participated in an $8m round in 2014 alongside Ace and Eurekap.

In 2011, CEA Investissement took part in a $7.8m series B in 2011 alongside Rhône-Alpes Création, a public-private partnership focused on the Rhône-Alpes region, Ace, Eurekap, Expansinvest, Inocap, Oseo and Promelys Participants.

CEA is one of the 18 institutions that make up Université Paris-Saclay, established in 2014.