Tenstorrent Partners with LSTC

Japan’s $300 million government-backed chip development group, LSTC (Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Centre), has announced a strategic partnership with Jim Kelly’s Tenstorrent start-up to collaborate on the design of its first AI integrated circuit (IC), according to a report by Bloomberg.

LSTC and Tenstorrent are set to focus on developing edge inference processing applications, particularly in the realm of generative AI, as revealed by the chairman of LSTC, Tetsuro Higashi.

Tenstorrent, known for its IC designs based on RISC-V architecture, aims to create a chip that can compete with industry giants like Nvidia and Arm. The collaboration will leverage Tenstorrent's Ascalon RISC-V CPU core technology to co-develop a RISC-V CPU chiplet tailored for LSTC’s edge AI initiatives.

Wei-Han Lien, the chief architect at Tenstorrent, expressed excitement about the joint endeavor, stating, “The partnership between Tenstorrent and LSTC to develop a chiplet-based edge AI accelerator marks a significant milestone in the semiconductor industry, being the first cross-organizational chiplet development of its kind.”

The manufacturing of the new chip is entrusted to Rapidus, utilizing its cutting-edge 2nm process technology, with production slated to commence in 2037.