SiFive, founded in 2015 by UC Berkeley engineers, has successfully completed a $400 million oversubscribed funding round, raising its valuation to $3.65 billion. This round saw participation from key investors, including Nvidia, led by Atreides Management. SiFive specializes in RISC-V open chip designs, contrasting with Intel’s x86 and ARM architectures dominating the CPU market for AI applications. Its business model mirrors Arm’s traditional licensing strategy, allowing clients to customize designs rather than producing chips directly. Notably, SiFive is shifting RISC-V from niche applications to AI data center CPUs, leveraging support from Nvidia’s CUDA and NVLink Fusion systems. This strategic pivot positions SiFive as a strong alternative to established players like Intel and AMD, as they explore open, neutral chip technologies crucial for the evolving landscape of AI computing. The company last raised funds in March 2022, valued at $2.33 billion.
Source link
