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Vertical Compute elicits $20.5M spin-out: Breaking down the memory wall

Vertical Compute founders
Vertical Compute founders. Picture credits; Vertical Compute

Vertical Compute secures seed funding to spin out from Imec.xpand and revolutionise memory and compute technology.

In a significant move for the semiconductor industry, Vertical Compute has successfully spun out from Europe’s Imec.xpand with a $20.5M (20M euros) seed funding round. This strategic investment, backed by prominent players including Eurazeo, XAnge, Vector Gestion, and Imec itself, marks the beginning of a new era in memory and compute technology.

Reimagining memory for AI: Vertical Compute tackles inefficiencies at the core

Imagine a world where AI applications are no longer constrained by the bottlenecks of traditional memory systems. Today, as generative AI and large language models revolutionise industries, the underlying infrastructure struggles to keep up. Data transfer delays, high energy consumption, and privacy concerns persist as constant challenges. Vertical Compute aims to resolve these issues by reinventing how data is stored and processed.

“The extreme data access requirements of AI workloads exacerbate this challenge, making it imperative to overcome the memory wall to enable the next wave of AI innovations. We believe going Vertical is the path to 100X gains,” explained Sébastien Couet, CTO of Vertical Compute.

The memory wall: Vertical Compute battles a growing challenge for AI evolution

AI’s insatiable demand for rapid data processing is outpacing advancements in traditional memory technologies. Static RAM (SRAM) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM) are limited by scaling issues, cost, and energy inefficiencies. While edge computing holds promise, it too faces challenges in cost and scalability for inferencing large AI models.

Vertical Compute’s innovative chiplet technology directly addresses this growing problem. By integrating vertical data lanes on computation units, the company’s solution minimises data movement, reducing energy use by up to 80%. This allows for hyper-personalised AI applications while safeguarding privacy by eliminating remote data transfers.

From concept to creation: Vertical Compute’s transformative chiplet technology

The spin-out from Imec is underpinned by years of innovation led by Sébastien Couet, formerly Imec’s Magnetic Program Director. By adopting a modular chip design and high-aspect-ratio vertical structures, Vertical Compute’s technology aims to surpass DRAM in density, cost, and energy efficiency.

“Our solution is designed to overcome the fundamental scaling limitations of memory technologies by going vertical. We are committed to unlocking the full potential of large language models on the edge without any compromise,” said Sylvain Dubois, CEO of Vertical Compute.

Building a European tech powerhouse

With its headquarters in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, and R&D hubs in Leuven, Grenoble, and Nice, Vertical Compute is assembling a team of top engineers to drive its ambitious goals. The company’s vision includes placing Europe at the forefront of technological innovation.

“We want to recruit the very best from all over Europe and finally put Europe at the forefront in terms of tech,” Dubois added.

The seed funding round reflects investor confidence in Vertical Compute’s leadership and disruptive potential. Tom Vanhoutte of Imec.xpand expressed optimism, stating, “This seed investment round highlights the confidence in the leadership team’s capabilities and the disruptive potential of this game-changing technology.”

Patrick Vandenameele, co-COO at Imec, shared a similar sentiment: “We are confident that, with the ongoing support of our teams and ecosystem, Vertical Compute can become a disruptor in the semiconductor industry.”

A transformative journey begins

Founded in 2024, Vertical Compute is poised to revolutionise memory systems and enable the next generation of AI. With $20.5M in funding and a vision to break the memory wall, the company is well-positioned to lead a transformative shift in the semiconductor industry.

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