Top researchers leave Intel to build startup with 'the biggest, baddest CPU'
a year ago
- #RISC-V
- #semiconductor
- #startup
- Four founders of Beaverton startup AheadComputing, with nearly a century of combined experience at Intel, are now developing a new class of microprocessor based on the RISC-V architecture, diverging from Intel's x86.
- AheadComputing aims to revolutionize semiconductor technology with a streamlined, efficient microprocessor design, betting on open standards and the fragmentation of the computing ecosystem.
- The company, with 80 employees (many Intel alumni), raised $22 million in venture capital and attracted industry attention, including semiconductor engineer Jim Keller joining its board.
- RISC-V's open technology offers startups like AheadComputing the opportunity to innovate without licensing fees, positioning them to capitalize on industry upheaval and Intel's struggles.
- AheadComputing's founders, now handling all aspects of their startup, from office leasing to chip design, believe their small, focused team can disrupt the semiconductor industry more effectively than large corporations.
- Intel's manufacturing setbacks and layoffs risk destabilizing Oregon's semiconductor industry, but new players like AheadComputing and Ampere Computing aim to sustain the region's role in the evolving sector.
- AheadComputing's approach is high-risk but offers high potential payoff, as it seeks to provide specialized chip components in a market moving away from monolithic designs to optimized 'chiplets'.