Korean AI Startups Pursue Nvidia in Tech Race

Rebellions and Sapeon, two innovative fabless chip companies based in Korea, have emerged as key players in the realm of AI chip design. These companies were founded with the singular goal of pushing the boundaries of technology and creating cutting-edge solutions for artificial intelligence applications.

Rebellions, a relatively young company, made headlines by securing an impressive $128 million in its recent Series B funding round. Led by CEO Sunghyun Park, a seasoned professional with a background in finance and technology, Rebellions is poised to make a significant impact in the industry. Park, who honed his skills at prestigious institutions like Morgan Stanley and Starlink before earning a PhD from MIT, brings a wealth of experience to the table.

The company's collaboration with Samsung Foundry on the development of a specialized AI inference chip, aptly named 'Rebel,' has garnered attention for its potential to revolutionize the field. Leveraging Samsung's advanced fabrication capabilities, Rebellions aims to deliver a high-performance chip that meets the evolving demands of AI applications.

On the other hand, Sapeon, backed by SK Telecom, has set its sights on creating a chip that promises a quantum leap in AI inference capabilities. With the catchy slogan "One tiny spark for a chip, a quantum leap for the AI inference," Sapeon is positioning itself as a trailblazer in the industry. The company's flagship chip, the X330, boasts an impressive 367 TFLOPS of performance and is specifically designed for inference acceleration.

Under the leadership of CEO Soojung Ryu, a distinguished alumnus of Georgia Tech with a strong technical background, Sapeon is making significant strides in chip design. The X330 chip, built on TSMC's cutting-edge 7nm process, is on track for delivery to customers in June, signaling a new era of innovation in AI hardware.