EnSilica LON:ENSI, the AIM-listed mixed-signal chip developer, has strengthened its foothold in the satellite communications market after securing a US$1.4mn order to advance work on a next-generation satellite payload ASIC for a global satellite services operator.
The award marks the transition of the programme from feasibility to full development and provides a further boost to the company’s revenue visibility for the current and forthcoming financial years.
The contract follows an initial feasibility study completed earlier this year, referenced in EnSilica’s November 2025 announcement, and will move into execution next month. The company expects to recognise the associated non-recurring engineering revenue within the current financial year, providing a timely uplift as the semiconductor design specialist continues to guide towards a stronger FY26.
New order deepens EnSilica’s pipeline coverage
The new order also deepens EnSilica’s pipeline coverage. The group said the wider programme, should it progress to full implementation, is expected to be worth “several millions” of dollars across FY27 and FY28. For a business operating in a capital-intensive, long-cycle industry, the transition from early-stage feasibility work to funded development is an important inflection point, signalling growing customer confidence in EnSilica’s technology platform and engineering capability.
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Ian Lankshear, EnSilica’s chief executive, described the contract as a significant step forward in consolidating the company’s presence in the satellite communications segment.
“We are delighted to have secured this further development order from an existing customer, which marks a significant step towards commitment to a full project,” he said. “The order reinforces our position as a leading independent supplier of payload communication ASICs, which remain highly complex, requiring advanced digital signal processing and radio-frequency expertise.”
EnSilica operates as a fabless ASIC design house, specialising in mixed-signal, RF, millimetre-wave and digital integrated circuits for automotive, industrial, communications and healthcare markets. Its customers range from global OEMs to system integrators and semiconductor players with internal design teams seeking specialist support.
The company has grown steadily in recent years by focusing on high-value, technically demanding silicon projects, where bespoke chip design can offer performance advantages that standard off-the-shelf components cannot match.
The satellite communications market has been an increasingly attractive target for semiconductor companies as operators invest heavily in next-generation payloads capable of supporting higher bandwidth, more flexible digital processing and enhanced spectrum efficiency. Custom ASICs play a central role in enabling these capabilities, particularly as operators transition to more software-defined architectures and multi-beam systems.
Why this is important for EnSilica’s shareholders
Tech sector analysts note that while NRE-driven contracts introduce lumpiness into revenue profiles, they also embed suppliers deeply into mission-critical system architectures, typically leading to multi-year production revenues if programmes reach full deployment. For smaller design-focused firms such as EnSilica, the conversion of feasibility studies into funded development is often a key indicator of future production potential.
Headquartered near Oxford, with design centres across the UK, India, Brazil and Hungary, EnSilica has worked to broaden its global footprint as demand for custom RF and mixed-signal silicon continues to rise. The company has previously highlighted the supply-chain resilience benefits of a fabless model, enabling it to partner with multiple foundries and mitigate some of the volatility seen in global chip manufacturing.
The latest order adds momentum to EnSilica’s strategy of expanding its presence in high-growth, high-complexity markets. As the satellite communications industry accelerates investment in advanced payload architectures, the company appears positioned to capture a larger share of specialised ASIC development work, though, as with all long-cycle engineering programmes, much will depend on successful execution and continued customer backing in the years ahead.
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