Samsung Venture Investment Corporation

Samsung Venture Investment Corporation is the corporate venture arm of Samsung Electronics, founded in 1999 and based in Seoul. It maintains a global presence with activity in innovation hubs such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, London, Tel Aviv, Bangalore, Tokyo, and Beijing, and it backs emerging technology startups across Europe, Asia, and North America. The firm sources and invests in technology companies at multiple stages, from early-stage to pre-IPO, focusing on areas including semiconductors, materials, mobile services, internet, software, security, and enterprise solutions, as well as bioengineering and medical tech. Its investment approach targets companies developing AI, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, cybersecurity, 5G, next generation displays, battery technology, digital health, and insurtech, among others, to support shaping future technologies.

Liam Ahn

Principal

Robert Ashcraft

Investment Director

Jaeseok Cha

Investment Director

Russ Chaney

Principal

Myungseok Choi

Investment Director

Past deals in ASIC

d-Matrix

Series B in 2023
D-Matrix is a computing platform dedicated to enhancing artificial intelligence inferencing workloads within data centers. The company aims to create and implement the world's first brain-inspired AI compute engine, catering to a diverse range of inferencing tasks in the expansive cloud and infrastructure edge markets. D-Matrix's innovative approach leverages in-memory computing techniques and addresses the challenges of memory-compute integration through a combination of mixed-signal and digital signal processing methods. This focus on efficiency enables clients to optimize their computing capabilities, particularly in the realms of generative artificial intelligence and large language models.

Lumotive

Venture Round in 2023
Lumotive develops programmable optical semiconductors and solid-state lidar systems that use light-control metasurfaces to enable compact, software-defined beam steering for sensing and perception across autonomous vehicles, robotics, mobile devices, and industrial automation. Its silicon-based beam steering chips are designed to reduce lidar size, cost, and complexity while delivering improved performance and reliability for 3D sensing and AI computing. Founded in 2017, Lumotive is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

Lumotive

Venture Round in 2022
Lumotive develops programmable optical semiconductors and solid-state lidar systems that use light-control metasurfaces to enable compact, software-defined beam steering for sensing and perception across autonomous vehicles, robotics, mobile devices, and industrial automation. Its silicon-based beam steering chips are designed to reduce lidar size, cost, and complexity while delivering improved performance and reliability for 3D sensing and AI computing. Founded in 2017, Lumotive is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

NeuReality

Series A in 2022
NeuReality is a semiconductor start-up that specializes in designing AI-as-a-service infrastructure to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding AI landscape across cloud, edge, and fog systems. The company develops purpose-built AI-centric architecture, focusing on server-on-chip solutions that reconfigure inference technologies, including computer vision, natural language processing, and recommendation engines. This innovative approach simplifies the implementation of advanced AI functionalities for organizations with limited technical expertise, allowing clients to reduce costs and energy consumption by moving away from traditional CPU-centric models. NeuReality aims to facilitate the adoption of AI technologies across various sectors, making them more accessible and efficient.

CNEX Labs

Series D in 2018
CNEX Labs develops storage semiconductor and software solutions, specializing in NVMe PCIe SSD controller ASICs that support LightNVM and Open-Channel operation with native NVMoE I/O connectivity. The controllers deliver high performance with low and predictable latency, scalability, and flexibility for software-defined storage, accelerating big data computing and analytics in cloud, hyperscale, and enterprise data centers. The company serves cloud and data center customers and partners with solid-state storage manufacturers to create differentiated storage solutions across form factors such as M.2, U.2, U.3, HHHL, and EDSFF. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Jose, California, CNEX maintains additional offices in Copenhagen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tokyo.

Efinix

Venture Round in 2017
Efinix specializes in programmable silicon solutions. Founded in 2012, the company offers Quantum programmable technology for advanced products in ASIC, ASSP, and FPGA segments. Its products cater to high-volume, low-power, and small form-factor needs, serving applications such as custom logic, compute acceleration, and deep learning.

Soft Machines

Private Equity Round in 2014
Soft Machines is a semiconductor company focusing on co-developing VISC architecture-based processor and SoC products for all major performance computing platforms. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Santa Clara, California.

CNEX Labs

Series A in 2014
CNEX Labs develops storage semiconductor and software solutions, specializing in NVMe PCIe SSD controller ASICs that support LightNVM and Open-Channel operation with native NVMoE I/O connectivity. The controllers deliver high performance with low and predictable latency, scalability, and flexibility for software-defined storage, accelerating big data computing and analytics in cloud, hyperscale, and enterprise data centers. The company serves cloud and data center customers and partners with solid-state storage manufacturers to create differentiated storage solutions across form factors such as M.2, U.2, U.3, HHHL, and EDSFF. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Jose, California, CNEX maintains additional offices in Copenhagen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tokyo.

Quellan

Series C in 2007
Quellan, Inc. is a designer and developer of analog signal processing and radio frequency noise cancellation integrated circuits (IC) based in Santa Clara, California. Founded in 2001, the company specializes in creating innovative solutions for various markets, including automotive, computing, data centers, storage, consumer electronics, and wireless applications. Quellan's product offerings include noise cancellers that detect and counteract unwanted noise in signal paths, system developer kits for mobile television and GPS, quad and single lane extenders for maintaining analog signal integrity in data center equipment, as well as evaluation boards, cable modules, and active cables. These products are utilized in a range of applications, such as active cables, linecards, backplanes, and mobile television systems. As of 2009, Quellan operates as a subsidiary of Intersil Corp.

Beceem Communications

Series D in 2007
Beceem Communications is a fabless semiconductor company that focuses on providing innovative solutions for the WiMAX marketplace. It specializes in developing baseband and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits, along with reference designs and software solutions, aimed at facilitating the integration of 4G technology into various mobile broadband devices. Since its inception, Beceem has established itself as a leader in the industry, being the first to introduce a pre-WiMAX chipset in 2005, followed by the launch of the first Wave 1 and Wave 2 mobile WiMAX chipsets in 2006. Their products support a wide range of end-user devices, including dongles, modems, gateways, mobile routers, and smartphones, contributing to advancements in mobile communications technology.

Sonics

Series D in 2005
Sonics is a leading innovator in network-on-chip (NoC) technology, providing a comprehensive portfolio of intelligent on-chip communication solutions tailored for home entertainment, wireless, networking, and mobile devices. Established in 1996 and headquartered in Milpitas, California, the company specializes in streamlining complex, high-speed system-on-chip (SoC) designs by addressing memory bottlenecks and enhancing data flow within embedded systems featuring multiple cores. Sonics' silicon-proven intellectual property enables designers to create heterogeneous, multi-core SoC designs that incorporate essential subsystems for security, power, and memory, ultimately delivering high performance and energy efficiency. With its solutions, Sonics has facilitated the shipment of over 750 million units globally, solidifying its position as a vital contributor to the embedded market.

GCT Semiconductor

Series D in 2005
GCT Semiconductor designs, develops, and markets integrated circuits for the wireless semiconductor industry. It specializes in system-on-a-chip solutions that combine radio frequency, baseband modem, and digital signal processing functions onto a single die, serving various applications such as smartphones, routers, and embedded modules. The company focuses on 4G LTE and 5G technologies, aiming to reduce component cost, lower power consumption, and minimize footprint.
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