Samsung, Hyundai Motor, and LG All Reach Out to AI Startups... Challenging Nvidia with Open Source

A Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor startup is drawing attention as it establishes connections with major domestic conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai Motor, and LG. It is unusual for an overseas startup to simultaneously form cooperative relationships with Korean conglomerates across various fields including semiconductors, automobiles, and automotive electronics.

On November 7 last year, Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, a Canadian AI semiconductor startup, delivered the keynote speech at the 7th Samsung AI Forum held at the Suwon Convention Center in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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According to industry sources on the 22nd, Hyundai Mobis plans to appoint Keith Whiteck, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Canadian AI semiconductor company Tenstorrent, as an outside director at its regular shareholders' meeting scheduled for the 20th of next month. This is the first time Hyundai Mobis has appointed an AI semiconductor industry insider as an outside director. It is interpreted that through Whiteck’s expertise, who has experience spanning semiconductor design to the complete vehicle industry, the company aims to secure semiconductor technology itself. A company official stated, "We expect to seek advice on key management decisions." Tenstorrent has been expanding its human exchanges following investment attraction from Hyundai Motor and Kia in August last year.

Tenstorrent already maintains a close relationship with Samsung Electronics. Since July last year, Tenstorrent has been engaged in research and development (R&D) projects with Samsung, and recently, at Samsung Foundry’s factory under construction in Taylor, Texas, USA, they have agreed to produce Tenstorrent’s AI chiplet semiconductor 'Quasar' using the 4nm (nanometer, one-billionth of a meter) 4th generation process (SF4X), thereby strengthening their cooperation.

LG Electronics is also collaborating with Tenstorrent to incorporate RISC-V based AI semiconductors into its products, including smart TVs. Beyond smart TVs, they plan to expand the application of AI chips to other products such as automotive-related devices.

Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, is reported to have visited Korea on this day to meet with several business partners, including Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor division. It is especially expected that this visit will formalize the establishment of Tenstorrent’s Korean branch. Tenstorrent has already hired personnel to work at the Korean office.

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Tenstorrent’s activities are gaining attention in connection with the creation of a 'de-NVIDIA' semiconductor ecosystem. The AI semiconductor market is currently monopolized 90% by the American company NVIDIA, which maintains high prices. This volume is produced by Taiwan’s TSMC, a strong competitor of Samsung Electronics. Currently, a lead time of 52 weeks (the period from order to receipt) is required to obtain NVIDIA’s chips.

Jim Keller is known as a 'legend of semiconductor design,' having successfully led key projects at AMD, Apple, Intel, and Tesla. He aims to develop AI semiconductors through technology that combines CPUs and AI accelerators, unlike NVIDIA’s graphics processing units (GPUs).

He is particularly focused on RISC-V based semiconductor technology. RISC-V is an open-source semiconductor with production and development rights open to anyone, allowing anyone to design, manufacture, and sell chips and software. Because only the design is provided, it can be applied without going through complex licensing processes. Additionally, the chips have smaller area and lower power consumption, which means production costs and maintenance expenses are significantly lower.

Keller expects that within the next 5 to 10 years, RISC-V semiconductors will be installed in data centers, with notable adoption especially in scientific fields and high-performance computing.

An industry insider explained, "Currently, NVIDIA’s GPUs are close to general-purpose chips that meet the diverse needs of many companies. However, in the future, chips specialized for specific services and capable of reducing costs will be needed, and Tenstorrent is expected to expand the market and create a new ecosystem."

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