Highlights:

  • The CPU core designs of Akeana are based on RISC-V, a competitor processing architecture that is made available under an open-source license rather than Arm technology.
  • Along with the blueprints for other processor components, Akeana sells its signature designs for CPU cores.

Akeana USA Inc., rolls out with more than USD 100 million funding in the early stage. The startup develops chips supported by the RISC-V processor architecture.

A group that includes Mayfield, Kleiner Perkins, and Fidelity sourced the funding. With this finance, Akeana will be better able to stimulate demand for its product line, which consists of a set of chip designs that manufacturers employ to create CPU cores and other semiconductor components. Alongside the company’s launch, the product range became generally available.

Former engineers from Marvell Technology Inc. founded Akeana in 2021. The founders of the publicly traded chipmaker created the ThunderX2 server processor family during their tenure there. The popular CPU architecture of Arm Holdings plc is the foundation of the chip line, which made its debut in 2018.

The CPU core designs of Akeana are based on RISC-V, a competitor processing architecture that is made available under an open-source license rather than Arm technology. Its affordability has contributed to its notable rise in popularity in recent years. Users can avoid paying Arm’s license costs for its technology because RISC-V is free.

Akeana has three product groups that comprise their range of CPU core designs, each focusing on a distinct set of applications.

The initial product line, the Akeana 100 series, consists of a set of 32-bit CPU cores intended for use in the Internet of Things and other fundamental electronics. It is offered alongside the more sophisticated Akeana 1000, which is designed to work with gadgets like sophisticated driver assistance systems. This product family’s CPU designs replace the 32-bit Akeana 100 architecture with a 64-bit architecture, which can store and process more data quickly.

The Akeana 5000 series completes the company’s product line. Compared to the Akeana 1000, it provides better single-thread performance and a much bigger onboard cache. The speedier MMU, which manages data flow between a CPU’s logic circuits and memory modules, was also added by Akeana’s engineers.

According to the manufacturer, the Akeana 5000 is well-suited for powering a wide range of electronics, including data center servers and laptops. Processors utilizing the architecture have the option to integrate circuitry derived from the lower-end Akeana 1000 series of CPU designs. Simple tasks can be assigned to the slowest cores in chips with various core types to conserve power and prolong the battery life of the host device.

Along with the blueprints for other processor components, Akeana sells its signature designs for CPU cores. The business offers a computational coherence block, or CCB, which is a device for combining several CPU cores into a single processor. It also provides components for related activities like handling interrupts or circumstances where a processor needs to switch from one operating application to another and suspend it.

Akeana Chief Executive Officer Rabin Sugumar said, “Our team has a proven track record of designing world-class server chips, and we are now applying that expertise to the broader semiconductor market as we formally go to market.”

The chipmaker reported that multiple clients are presently assessing its CPU ideas. These clients are prominent players in their respective marketplaces and are classified as tier-one corporations.