Bangalore AI Chip Startup optoML Raises $1.8M
Bangalore-based fabless semiconductor startup optoML has raised $1.8 million from investors including Bluehill.VC and A99. The company is developing ultra-efficient in-memory compute chips and has completed a 12nm tapeout with TSMC. The funds are aimed at accelerating AI workloads for edge and cloud deployments with reduced power and latency.
- Founder Saravana Maruthamuthu brings 17 years of semiconductor experience from roles at Intel, Qualcomm, and Continental, including nearly a decade working in Germany. - The startup's patented Analog-in-Memory Compute (AiMC) architecture claims to deliver up to 50 times higher energy efficiency by performing computations directly where data is stored, reducing the energy-intensive data movement that bottlenecks traditional chip designs. - Beyond the funding, optoML has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kaynes Semiconductor to handle crucial post-fabrication steps like wafer assembly, testing, and packaging. - The company is officially headquartered in Singapore but operates its research and development center in Bengaluru, a common structure for Indian startups aiming for a global market. - The "tapeout" signifies the final step in the chip design phase, where the completed design is sent to the manufacturer—in this case, global leader TSMC—for the initial production run, validating the architecture in real silicon. - Lead investor Bluehill.VC is a Chennai-based deep-tech fund with a Rs 350 crore corpus that focuses on foundational technologies in sectors like semiconductors, energy, defense, and space. - The architecture also incorporates optical interconnects, a technology that uses light to transmit data, aiming to further reduce latency and power consumption compared to traditional electrical interconnects as AI workloads scale.
