Edgecortix Inc.

The EdgeCortix story began with Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, a seasoned technologist with two decades at the forefront of artificial intelligence systems. His journey, which included roles at esteemed public research institutes like The Max Planck Society and RIKEN, alongside leading corporations such as Microsoft and IBM Research, culminated in a crucial observation: many powerful AI solutions were rendered ineffective in edge computing scenarios due to their excessive power consumption. This realization sparked the conviction that a better approach was needed, one that didn't prioritize silicon devices first and then adapt software as an afterthought. In July 2019, this vision materialized with the founding of EdgeCortix, a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Tokyo, committed to optimizing AI processing at the edge while minimizing power demands.

From its inception, EdgeCortix embraced a software-first philosophy. This unique 'hardware and software co-exploration' system became the bedrock for designing an AI-specific runtime reconfigurable accelerator from the ground up. The company quickly garnered support from a distinguished group of investors, including Japan's leading venture capital firm SBI Investment Co. Ltd, and Global Hands-On VC (GHOVC), a venture capital firm focused on Japan-US collaborations. A significant investment also came from Renesas Electronics Corporation, a long-term customer and a premier global supplier of semiconductor solutions, underscoring the industry's confidence in EdgeCortix's innovative approach. Over five years, fueled by this backing and a drive for innovation (resulting in over 20 patents granted or applied for), the engineering teams in Japan developed the MERA Compiler and Software framework. This was accompanied by the creation of their Dynamic Neural Accelerator (DNA) – a novel runtime-reconfigurable processor architecture. The initial SAKURA silicon solution, based on this patented DNA architecture, served to validate their approach. More recently, EdgeCortix unveiled SAKURA-II, its next-generation production silicon, designed to excel in flexibility, power efficiency, and real-time processing of complex models, including demanding Generative AI workloads at the edge. With a global operational footprint now spanning Japan, India, Singapore, and the United States, EdgeCortix continues its journey to redefine AI processing for a connected, intelligent edge.