AI Celestials Achieve Funding Of IDR 4.1 Trillion To Accelerate AI Chip Connection

Celestial AI, a chip startup from Silicon Valley (photo: x @mpolicastro)

JAKARTA Celestial AI, one of Silicon Valley's chip startups that seeks to overcome speed constraints in artificial intelligence, announced that it has received additional funding of US$250 million (Rp4.1 trillion). With this latest funding, the total funds that the Celestial AI has collected has reached US$515 million (Rp8.4 trillion).

The startup relies on phototonic technology, which uses light instead of electric signals, to create a super fast connection between AI computing chips and memory chips.

The speed of this connection, measured in memory bandwidth, is a crucial factor in the development of the AI system. In fact, it also determines whether a chip will be subject to export control from the US government, which aims to limit AI's progress in China.

Currently, Nvidia still dominates the industry with its bandwidth memory technology, namely NVLink and NVSwitch. This has sparked technological competition among chip startups and large investment waves to look for alternatives that other chip companies can use.

The AI's Celestials compete with Lightmatter and Ayar Labs, who have raised 850 million and US$370 million in funding, respectively.

Different from its competitors, the Celestial AI, supported by AMD Ventures, is part of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) developing a technology called "photonic fabric", which acts as a bridge between two or more chips with a different phototonic approach.

The CEO of the Celestial AI, Dave Lazovsky, stated that the main goal of this technology is to increase speed while saving space and power, two important factors in modern chip designs.

"Outside of Nvidia, there is no truly optimal solution yet," Lazovsky said in an interview at the Celestial AI headquarters in Santa Clara, California. "What we create with photonic fabric has similar functions, but with better energy efficiency and latency."

The new funding is led by Fidelity Management & Research and is supported by big investors such as BlackRock, Maverick Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Lip-Bu Tan Former CEO of chip design company Casidence Design Systems. In addition, old investors such as AMD Ventures, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Temasek, Xora Innovation, Porsche Automobile Holding, and The Engine Ventures also participated.

AI's Celestial Technology is expected to provide innovative solutions in the AI chip industry, which is now increasingly competitive in finding alternatives outside the Nvidia ecosystem.