Latest news with #WeiliDai


Arabian Post
05-07-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Chip‑Scale Interconnect Boosted as Tenstorrent Acquires Blue Cheetah
Tenstorrent has acquired Blue Cheetah Analog Design, integrating the startup's expert team and chiplet interconnect IP into its in‑house capabilities, advancing its strategy for high‑performance AI hardware. The Canadian‑based AI chipmaker announced on 1 July 2025 that it has secured Blue Cheetah, a Sunnyvale‑headquartered innovator specialising in analog and mixed‑signal IP for chiplet designs. The move brings Blue Cheetah's BlueLynx die‑to‑die interconnect subsystem—compatible with Open Compute Project's Bunch of Wires and Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express standards—directly under Tenstorrent's control. Blue Cheetah, founded in 2018 and backed by Marvell luminaries Dr Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai, has established a reputation for delivering customizable interconnect IP across various foundries and nodes. The startup's executive and engineering teams are led by co‑founder and CEO Dr Elad Alon, a recognised expert in analog/mixed‑signal design and technical lead for the Bunch of Wires PHY standard. ADVERTISEMENT According to Tenstorrent CEO Jim Keller, the acquisition will 'accelerate our chiplet vision of creating an open chiplet ecosystem, with open interconnects optimised for each specific chiplet socket'. Bringing critical analog capabilities in‑house is expected to enhance performance and efficiency in AI systems, especially as chiplet architectures gain prominence in scaling compute workloads. Dr Alon stated that Blue Cheetah had long collaborated with Tenstorrent as a customer and partner, and the merger will allow them to amplify their impact on chiplet ecosystems worldwide. This deal marks Tenstorrent's first semiconductor acquisition in the United States, and builds on its previous licensing agreement with Blue Cheetah for die‑to‑die interconnect technology in its AI and RISC‑V chiplet solutions. Analysts suggest that this vertical integration provides Tenstorrent with tighter control over its interconnect IP roadmap, reducing dependency on external vendors and improving time‑to‑market for future designs. Tenstorrent's global operations span offices in Austin, Silicon Valley, Toronto, Belgrade, Seoul, Tokyo and Bangalore, supported by investors including Eclipse Ventures, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Hyundai Motor Group. Blue Cheetah's integration deepens those ties, offering advanced analog interconnect capabilities critical to chiplet‑based AI and high‑performance computing platforms. Industry observers highlight the timing of the acquisition as significant. As demand grows for modular chiplet architectures—driven by the escalating compute requirements of AI workloads—having proprietary, standards‑compliant interconnect IP in‑house may enable Tenstorrent to lead in chiplet performance and ecosystem development. Their strategy aligns with Open Compute Project's push for interoperable chiplet interfaces, signalling potential influence on emerging chiplet standards. The hardware industry continues to shift from monolithic to chiplet‑driven designs, balancing energy efficiency, yield, and scalability. Tenstorrent's move mirrors broader efforts among AI‑hardware firms to secure key IP layers critical to end‑to‑end system performance. The Blue Cheetah team brings deep expertise in D2D, DDR, SerDes and physical‑link design—capabilities that are increasingly rare and valuable.' Dr Alon shared on LinkedIn that the integration of Blue Cheetah's team into Tenstorrent reflects a shared vision to 'build simple and comparable chiplet ecosystems,' noting the appreciation extended to partners, investors and employees as they embark on this 'tremendous impact' together.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tech billionaire set for $237 million windfall from semiconductor takeover
Weili Dai is in line for a $237 million windfall from Alphawave's sale to Qualcomm. Dai is Alphawave's interim executive director and holds a big stake in the London-listed company. Bloomberg estimated the deal would boost her net worth to about $3.3 billion. Tech billionaire Weili Dai is in line for a $237 million windfall following a takeover deal for a London-listed semiconductor firm. Dai is the second-largest shareholder of Alphawave IP Group with a stake of about 96 million shares, Bloomberg reported. Earlier this month Qualcomm agreed to buy the company for almost $2.4 billion in a deal due to close next year. Bloomberg estimated Dai's net worth will be about $3.3 billion following the Qualcomm takeover. The Nasdaq-listed company is worth $166 billion. Forbes estimated Dai's wealth at about $1 billion in 2019. Dai and Alphawave did not respond to requests for comment. Shares in Alphawave have risen 18% in the past month and 89% since the start of the year, valuing it at about $1.8 billion. The Toronto-headquartered company had been worth considerably more following its London IPO in 2021. Dai's late husband, Sehat Sutardja, was executive director of Alphawave until his death in September last year. She had been an alternate director for Sutardja and became interim executive director following his death, as well as inheriting his stake. Dai and Sutardja were cofounders of Marvell Technology in 1995, and she was president and director of the semiconductor company until 2016. In 2018, Dai cofounded MeetKai, an AI-enabled personalized conversational search company, and remains its executive chair. She also holds board roles at Lark Health and Astrana Health. Shanghai-born Dai has a degree in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley and was previously a semi-professional basketball player in China before moving to the US with her parents. Read the original article on Business Insider


Bloomberg
18-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Billionaire Dai to Reap $237 Million Windfall From Qualcomm Deal
Weili Dai has built a career helping turn tech startup after tech startup into successful ventures. The serial entrepreneur is now poised to pocket a windfall from one of them: $237 million from the pending sale of Alphawave IP Group Plc to Qualcomm Inc. Dai holds a 96.3 million-share stake in the London-listed semiconductor firm, making her its second-largest shareholder. Qualcomm agreed earlier this month to buy Alphawave for about $2.4 billion in cash, in a deal expected to close in the first quarter of next year.