Synthara Secures $11m Funding, Welcomes Hermann Hauser

Swiss semiconductor startup Synthara has recently secured a total of $11.4 million in funding, comprising $5.5 million in financing and $5.9 million in grants. This financial boost will enable Synthara to introduce its innovative ComputeRAM technology, designed for general-purpose embedded chips with a wide range of AI applications.

The funding round was led by Vsquared Ventures, a prominent European deep tech investor, with participation from OTB Ventures, Hermann Hauser’s Onsight Ventures, and Deeptech Labs. Existing investors also joined in as Synthara shifts its focus towards edge AI technologies.

Hermann Hauser, a renowned European investor and founder of Acorn, has also come on board as an advisor for Synthara. He expressed his enthusiasm for the company's in-memory computing integration, stating that it significantly enhances capabilities and performance, particularly in AI applications.

Synthara, founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Institute of Neuroinformatics at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, is based on the doctoral research of Dr. Manu V. Nair and Dr. Alessandro Aimar. The company, now with a team of 20, has developed ComputeRAM, which integrates computing into on-chip memories to improve energy efficiency and latency by up to 100 times.

In addition to raising capital, Synthara is actively involved in various European projects focused on advanced computing and next-generation AI applications. The company has received substantial funding from organizations like Innosuisse and SERI, including a recent CHF 2.5 million Swiss Accelerator grant to advance edge AI chips. The team is headquartered in Zurich and has garnered support from previous investors such as HTGF, DeepIE, Excellis, and ZKB.

Manu Nair, Co-Founder and CEO of Synthara, emphasized the potential of ComputeRAMTM to enable the development of innovative products limited only by developers' creativity. He highlighted the importance of working closely with the early adopter community to drive advancements in chip and device technology.

Patrick Tucci, Principal at Vsquared Ventures, commented on the transformative impact of in-memory computing, especially in addressing data movement bottlenecks in edge applications. He praised Synthara's ComputeRAMTM as a high-performance solution that can unlock new opportunities in the market at scale.

Karol Szubstarski, Partner at OTB Ventures, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing how Synthara's technology can revolutionize the industry by improving energy consumption, performance, and latency without disruptive alterations to existing chip architectures. He expressed excitement about the company's potential to drive performance gains and unlock new use cases across various product categories.

As Synthara continues to push the boundaries of in-memory computing technology, the company's partnership with investors and advisors positions it well to lead the industry towards a new era of innovation and efficiency.