Samsung backs AI chipmaker Euclyd in $230 million round

Samsung has backed a Dutch AI chipmaker in a $231 million funding spherical, amid a growth in funding in alternate options to Nvidia’s graphic processing items.

Euclyd CEO Bernardo Kastrup advised CNBC completely that the corporate’s 200-million-euro Sequence A drew backing from Somerset Capital Companions, the Scaleup Europe Fund managed by EQT and Innovation Industries, which all co-led the spherical alongside Samsung.

The startup, based in 2024, is designing an AI chip system, with completely different structure to GPUs, for inference, together with the processor and reminiscence structure.

Nvidia turned the world’s Most worthy firm after its GPUs, initially designed for gaming, have been repurposed for coaching and utilizing AI fashions, often known as inference.

The corporate has developed a close to monopoly over the marketplace for the highest-end chips, however some hyperscalers, alongside startups, wish to develop their very own processors for AI workloads.

OpenAI introduced in August that its first AI chip, the Jalapeño, had “industry-leading pace and effectivity.” Google, AWS and Meta are all additionally growing their very own AI chips.

“AI is changing into a basis of financial development, scientific discovery and nationwide competitiveness, however its potential will stay constrained except we essentially change the infrastructure beneath it,” stated Kastrup.

Euclyd’s programs have but to be confirmed at scale in industrial deployments.

However the firm stated its silicon programs for foundational fashions will scale back the vitality wants and prices of AI information middle infrastructure, which is seeing a funding growth.

The corporate is concentrating on two income streams: promoting {hardware} and bodily rack programs to enterprise prospects who need safe self-hosted AI inference, and promoting its mental property to corporations that wish to develop their very own chips based mostly on pre-existing tech.

“Samsung may help us in additional methods than cash,” stated Kastrup. “They’re one of many greatest reminiscence producers on the planet. They do plenty of engineering, they know loads about programs, they know the availability chain, they’ve an enormous community.”

Euclyd goals to start rolling out its bodily chip programs in 2028, with hundreds of enterprise prospects being served by 2030, Kastrup advised CNBC.