U.S. chip startups, long shunned in favor of internet bets, stir excitement again Reuters 2 hrs ago
By Jane Lanhee Lee
OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Silicon Valley venture capitalists, long focused on software and internet companies, are again pouring money into the semiconductor industry, lured by the promise of a new generation of artificial-intelligence chips that could challenge incumbents like Intel Corp and Nvidia Corp.
The new wave of semiconductor innovation will do little to address the shortage of chips based on older technology that is currently plaguing the auto industry and others. The shortage stems from a confluence of factors as carmakers, which shut plants during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, compete against the sprawling consumer electronics industry for chip supplies.
US chip startups, long shunned in favor of internet bets, stir excitement again
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Last Updated: May 05, 2021, 05:22 PM IST
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The enthusiasm for chip startups is mostly a result of the need, by companies using AI software, for special-purpose processors that can efficiently run machine-learning algorithms requiring huge troves of data - the heart of the booming artificial-intelligence business
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Silicon Valley venture capitalists, long focused on software and internet companies, are again pouring money into the semiconductor industry, lured by the promise of a new generation of artificial-intelligence chips that could challenge incumbents like Intel Corp and Nvidia Corp.
09:00am EDT|
AI Chip Startup Groq, Founded By Ex-Googlers, Raises $300 Million To Power Autonomous Vehicles And Data Centers
Courtesy of Groq
Jonathan Ross left Google to launch next-generation semiconductor startup Groq in 2016. Today, the Mountain View, California-based firm said that it had raised $300 million led by Tiger Global Management and billionaire investor Dan Sundheim’s D1 Capital as it officially launched into public view. The new funding values Groq at more than $1 billion – though just how much more Ross declined to say
Over the past five years, Groq developed its first AI chip and got it into the market, with customers in both data centers and autonomous vehicles, with help from $67 million funding. It’s now working on a second-generation offering that it plans to get into production. “We have a lot more customer interest than we can service,” says Ross, the company’s chief executive officer.