Silicon Box. A Sad Development & Still A Black Box

we're not seeing much in the way of tangible progress from the unicorn startup

In June 2024, we published the following note on Singapore-based unicorn startup, Silicon Box:

Our conclusion to that note was the following:

Silicon Box’s founders are highly respected players in the broader semiconductor industry with track records dating back more than three decades. They have been welcomed with open arms by Singapore, and more recently by Italy. The demand for what they are proposing to build, i.e. advanced packaging, is real and growing. The problem is that we have yet to see the specifics of their product/service offering. We need real data comparing their offering with what’s currently on the table from the likes of TSMC, Intel, Amkor etc. Until then, Silicon Box is really more of a Silicon Black Box. Let’s see…

On September 18 2024, one of the three co-founders, Dr. Sutardja, sadly passed away, details from the startup’s LinkedIn page here:

It is with regret and a heavy heart that we share news regarding the recent passing of Silicon Box's co-founder and Board Chairman, Sehat Sutardja.

Dr. Sutardja’s unwavering commitment to innovation is part of his lasting impact on Silicon Box and our industry. He was an extraordinary engineer, a dedicated mentor and a cherished friend who made seminal contributions to the development of chips that enable modern life, while impressing everyone who knew him with his creativity and compassion.

Dr. Sutardja was a co-founder of Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL), FLC Technology, DreamBig Semiconductors and a prolific investor in many key technologies and companies he saw as essential to driving innovation in the next-generation of semiconductor development through the "chiplet" concept. This was also consistent with his vision for co-founding SILICON BOX.

The world has lost a visionary in Dr. Sutardja, but his legacy in inspiring a new paradigm for chip-making will continue to guide us. As we carry forward his mission, we know Dr. Sutardja's brilliance, kindness, candor, and indomitable spirit will be missed by many.

Out of respect for Dr. Sutardja's family, no further details are being provided at this time, and we discourage media from pursuing its objectives for the present. We appreciate your understanding in light of this sad situation.

Firstly, my condolences to his wife & family. He obviously died way too young, and that’s a terrible shame. May he rest in peace.

Like his co-founders, he was widely known and respected within the broader technology community, and there were many tributes paid to him, including this one from his Alma Mater, Berkeley.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sutardja demonstrated a talent for engineering early in life. He later earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, followed by a master’s (1985) and Ph.D. (1988) in electrical engineering and computer sciences from UC Berkeley. In 1995, Sutardja, along with his wife, Weili Dai (B.A.’84 CS), and his brother, Pantas Sutardja (B.S.’83, M.S.’85, Ph.D.’88 EECS), founded Marvell, which would grow to become one of the world’s largest chipmakers.

Somewhat bizarrely, the Silicon Box website still shows Dr. Sutardja as Chairman of the Board, now more than six months after his passing. Indeed, the website looks pretty much exactly as it did six months ago, with just one single press release posted during this time frame. Then there’s the rather odd case of an interview with the company’s Head of Business which took place just two weeks after the co-founders death, but which completely ignores this hugely significant development. Let’s dig in…