Samsung Electronics is joining hands with Jim Keller, often referred to as the “legend of semiconductor design,” and his company Tenstorrent, to produce advanced AI semiconductors at its Taylor Foundry in the United States. The move signifies Samsung’s accelerated efforts to collaborate with both domestic and international fabless AI startups and enhance their foundry capabilities.
On Oct. 2, Tenstorrent announced the mass production of its next-generation AI chiplets at Samsung’s Texas-based Taylor Foundry using a 4-nanometer (nm) process. Instead of fabricating system semiconductors as a single unit, chiplets are produced as multiple modules that are later combined, enhancing semiconductor performance and offering cost savings and yield stability.
Founded in 2016 in Canada, Tenstorrent is an AI semiconductor startup. The company holds several proprietary AI-related intellectual properties, including the essential neural processing unit (NPU) technology for the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. With a market value reaching US$1 billion, it is considered to be a semiconductor unicorn. The company’s helm was taken over by Jim Keller in January, a veteran who previously held top positions at Intel, AMD, Apple, and Tesla.
Recently, domestic corporations have been investing in Tenstorrent to secure high-performance semiconductors for autonomous driving and electronics. Last August, Tenstorrent secured US$100 million of funding with participation from Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung Catalyst Fund (SCF). Hyundai and Kia invested US$30 million and US$20 million, respectively. While Samsung hasn’t disclosed the exact investment figure, it is known to have made a substantial investment. LG Electronics also announced a collaboration with Tenstorrent in the semiconductor sector for smart TVs and vehicles last May.
The next-generation AI semiconductors produced at Samsung’s foundry for Tenstorrent are designed to support a power range from milliwatts (low power) to megawatts (large-scale power), making them suitable for a variety of applications from small devices to data centers. Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, stated, “We will use chiplet technology to develop various high-performance semiconductors, and Samsung Electronics is the best partner for Tenstorrent AI chiplets.” Chiplets, combining different functional semiconductors into a single package, are instrumental in high-performance semiconductor development.
This marks the second time Samsung’s Taylor Factory has secured an AI semiconductor client. In August, Samsung forged a mass production partnership with Groq, a U.S.-based fabless AI semiconductor company founded by ex-Google engineers, using a 4-nm process. Beyond international partnerships, Samsung has also been collaborating with domestic fabless AI companies such as Rebellions and DEEPX. Rebellions produces its Atom AI semiconductor based on a 5-nm process, while DEEPX manufactures its AI semiconductors through Samsung using 5-nm, 14-nm, and 28-nm processes.