AheadComputing Raises $21.5 Million in Seed Funding for RISC-V-Based CPU Technology
By Max A. Cherney
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – AheadComputing, a newly formed chip startup, announced on Wednesday that it has secured $21.5 million in seed funding. Co-founded by former Intel CPU engineers and executives, the company is focused on developing technology and chips based on the open-source architecture known as RISC-V.
The funding will be utilized to design and create CPU technology aimed at addressing computing performance challenges related to artificial intelligence, such as bandwidth limitations and data processing constraints.
AheadComputing’s decision to leverage RISC-V technology comes at a strategic time, as it provides an alternative to the x86 architecture used by industry giants like Intel and AMD, as well as the reliance on a single supplier, Arm Holdings, for underlying designs.
Debbie Marr, co-founder and CEO of AheadComputing, highlighted the advantages of the RISC-V ecosystem, emphasizing its openness and the multitude of players involved, allowing for ample room for innovation.
Marr and other key executives departed from Intel last year to establish AheadComputing, with the company’s headquarters based in Portland. These executives were instrumental in developing technologies at Intel that significantly enhanced CPU performance.
The seed funding round was led by Eclipse Ventures and included investments from Maverick Capital, Fundomo, and EPIQ Capital Group. Renowned chip architect Jim Keller, formerly of Apple and Tesla, also participated in the funding round. Keller operates his own RISC-V venture, Tenstorrent.
Greg Reichow, a partner at Eclipse Ventures, emphasized the growing demand for high-performance computing, projecting a market size of approximately $100 billion by 2030. He noted the significant market opportunity driving the establishment of AheadComputing.
(Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; Editing by Kim Coghill)
