AI networking chip developer Upscale AI has raised $200 million in funding, SiliconANGLE reported on Jan. 21 (local time).
The round was led by Tiger Global, Premji Invest and Zora Innovation. The venture capital arms of Intel and Qualcomm also participated. Upscale AI's cumulative funding has exceeded $300 million.
Upscale AI is developing SkyHammer, a networking chip that optimises server connections within AI clusters. Unlike existing networking equipment, SkyHammer is designed to connect hardware inside a rack. It provides deterministic latency, making data transmission times predictable, SiliconANGLE reported.
AI models need to process data in a specific order, and a delay in one computation can delay subsequent processing. SkyHammer supports optimising AI workload speeds by addressing this problem. It offers real-time telemetry to monitor network conditions and optimise performance.
SkyHammer is compatible with open-source networking technologies UALink and ESUN. ESUN, supported by Nvidia and Broadcom, is designed to connect components inside a rack.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr