When it comes to Near Field Communication (NFC) adoption, traditional silicon chips are bulky, brittle, and have high environmental costs.
Thin, flexible chips offer a way to integrate NFC into applications where size, aesthetics, and form factor are vital. Pragmatic Semiconductor recently launched its flagship product range, NFC Connect, a flexible electronics platform delivering ultra-low-cost, item-level connectivity. The range reimagines NFC technology with ultra-thin, flexible semiconductors (FlexICs), enabling NFC to be invisibly integrated where traditional rigid chips could not fit.
Unlike conventional silicon-based NFC chips, FlexICs are produced on bendable substrates, allowing them to be embedded in packaging, labels, wearables, or medical devices, while reducing both cost and environmental impact. NFC Connect is designed to work seamlessly with standard smartphones, enabling tap-to-connect functionality at scale and for less cost.
Forward thinking for flexible integration
From the earliest prototypes, Pragmatic actively gathered feedback from partners using the technology in real-world applications. This input shaped rapid iterations of the NFC Connect range to ensure interoperability with the existing ecosystem while offering new advantages.
“That dialogue continues to guide our roadmap, ensuring NFC Connect remains aligned with the needs of innovators bringing new ideas to market,” said Simon Kirk, Senior RF Product Manager at Pragmatic Semiconductor.
The company reports the strongest interest is from integrators, suppliers, and stakeholders across the NFC value chain. “[They] want to use NFC Connect to evolve their product ranges, offering new and previously unattainable solutions,” said Kirk.
Healthcare and flexible packaging are among the sectors adopting NFC Connect to overcome previous limitations such as form factor, cost, or sustainability. Digital product passports (DPP) are a fast-moving use case, with NFC Connect applied to flexible packaging to bring intelligence to FMCG products, enhancing consumer engagement at scale. The technology is also being explored for authentication solutions.
Beyond NFC, FlexICs are generating interest for custom solutions in wearables, hearables, and novel consumer electronics form factors. “With the routing density of IC substrates and the pliability of flexible printed circuit boards (flex PCBs), they deliver high-density circuitry in untapped spaces – in a cost-effective, ultra-compact form,” said Kirk.
Low-carbon manufacturing
FlexICs and NFC Connect offer a lower carbon footprint, which is driven by a simplified, low-temperature manufacturing process, contrasting with how conventional silicon semiconductors are fabricated.
“Silicon semiconductor fabrication uses hundreds of steps and requires temperatures over 1000°C. By contrast, our innovative low-temperature manufacturing uses around 30 steps, most of which take place at room temperature – with none exceeding 300°C. As a result, it uses significantly less energy and water, and fewer harmful chemicals – and has a significantly reduced carbon footprint,” Kirk explained.
FlexICs also integrate passive components such as resistors and capacitors, reducing PCB real estate, simplifying layout, and enabling smaller, lighter, and more streamlined designs. The thinness, flexibility, and reduced brittleness of NFC Connect allow it to be embedded in new spaces, supporting innovation across product categories.
Scaling into 2026
Pragmatic Semiconductor has no plans to move manufacturing abroad, maintaining production in the UK while serving demand in the US through a local office. “We’re proud to be a British success story. However, the modular nature of our fabs means that we can quickly and easily replicate them at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional fabs, as the need arises,” said Kirk.
Each line at Pragmatic Park, its flagship manufacturing facility, is capable of producing billions of flexible chips per year. The facility can accommodate up to nine production lines, which will be added gradually. The company intends to create around 500 jobs over the next five years as operations scale.
Looking ahead
Kirk believes that incorporating flexible NFC into everyday products will add new functionality and adaptability to existing use cases, driving market evolution.
“This will be driven by cost, sustainability improvements, recyclability, and providing more to end users. Sustainability, in particular, is a driving force to support brands’ goals to reduce their footprint. This is usually achieved by sacrificing cost and scalability, but NFC Connect can overcome that and help NFC providers, suppliers, and integrators offer sustainability at a cost-effective price point. Legislation is also a driver, with DPP increasing NFC visibility and making it a data carrier of choice for more solutions,” he said.
