Satellite communications is shifting from mechanical dishes to electronically steerable flat panel antennas, driven by LEO mega-constellations. The bottleneck is the chip: pure-silicon ICs lose efficiency at high frequencies, while compound-semiconductor approaches deliver the performance but as bulky assemblies of discrete components. Manufacturers are forced to choose between RF performance and their size, weight, power and cost envelope.

Circuits Integrated Hellas removes that trade-off with Kythrion™, a 3D heterogeneous System-in-Package and Antenna-in-Package solution that integrates high-power III-V compound semiconductors (GaAs/GaN) with silicon beamforming in a single, flat package. By moving integration from the board into the package, the design cuts size and weight, lowers power consumption and cost, and delivers best-in-class switching speed. It has been validated in operational settings and matured through leading European R&D frameworks including ESA BIC, Horizon Europe and the European Defence Fund, alongside a revenue-generating design services business established in 2020.

By owning the full signal chain (RF front-end, beamforming and power conversion), CIH becomes an enabler rather than a competitor to the antenna makers building next-generation terminals, shortening their development timelines. It also gives Europe a sovereign source of high-frequency RF front-ends for satellite communications, earth observation and secure defence links, with core IP extending into 5G/6G and automotive radar. A fabless semiconductor company, built in Athens, with a team whose engineering heritage runs through ESA and Starlink antenna programmes.

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