French energy-harvesting company Dracula Technologies has completed Semtech’s qualification process at its new Green Micropower Factory for mass production of Layer organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices.

This marks a step in ramping up the company’s production capacity to achieve volumes exceeding 150 million cm² per year per shift to meet the growing demand for its Layer OPV modules. These modules enable applications that demand low power consumption such as self-powered sensors, relying on energy harvesting instead of traditional batteries. This milestone is also in line with the company’s ambition to distribute its technology through licences or partnerships to accelerate international business development.

The audit was performed by Semtech, a semiconductor, IoT and cloud connectivity service provider, and a partner and investor in Dracula Technologies.

“We are excited about the potential of this facility to advance energy-efficient IoT applications,” said Olivier Seller, technical fellow at Semtech (www.semtech.com). “This qualification affirms not only the robustness of Dracula Technologies’ manufacturing processes but also their commitment to sustainability and innovation. Through production of OPV modules at scale, we can jointly accelerate deployment of self-powered devices. Reduced reliance on traditional batteries paves the way for a more sustainable future.”

Brice Cruchon, CEO of Dracula Technologies, added: “Semtech has among the highest quality, safety and environmental standards in its industry. Its confirmation is of great significance for Dracula Technologies’ new manufacturing site and will enable us to meaningfully ramp up production to meet our customers’ needs over the coming years. This achievement marks a crucial advancement in scaling up production capacity to address the increasing need for our OPV modules. I am proud of the teamwork and dedication of our entire team and our partners, making this accomplishment possible. We are now well positioned to push our technology to new levels of performance required by emerging applications and to engage the marketplace with confidence and enthusiasm.”

The Green Micropower Factory – a fully automated facility optimised for best-practice manufacturing techniques – is the world’s largest factory (2500m²) dedicated exclusively to the production of OPV modules. The OPV modules are manufactured with Dracula’s patented sustainable OPV low-light energy-harvesting crafted with organic inkjet printing precision. It upscales Layer’s production and supports Dracula’s clients’ deployment of battery-free devices.

To propel this venture, Dracula has begun recruiting more than 60 additional skilled professionals. Looking ahead, Dracula aims to have a total of 250 employees by 2030.

The factory aligns with European regulations to phase out non-rechargeable batteries in IoT devices. It enables large-scale production of sustainable modules, marking the beginning of the end for conventional batteries.

Dracula aims to bolster France and Europe’s sovereignty by reducing reliance on battery imports and exclusively collaborating with European suppliers.

To enhance energy efficiency and autonomy in MCUs, Dracula announced in April that its Layer OPV technology is compatible with ST Microelectronics’ low-power microcontrollers. Layer empowers manufacturers and end users to create a battery-free future by using ambient indoor light to generate sustainable micro-power devices.

Dracula Technologies (dracula-technologies.com) is headquartered in Valence, France.