FuriosaAI is a South Korean startup that manufactures chips for AI applications. The startup has rejected an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta and instead decided to continue developing its own AI chips. This decision was based not on price but on disagreements over post-acquisition business strategy and organizational structure.
Meta is working to reduce its reliance on Nvidia chips for AI, aiming to strengthen its own AI capabilities. Last year, Meta unveiled its custom AI chips and plans to invest $65 billion in 2024 to support its AI initiatives.
Meanwhile, FuriosaAI plans to raise approximately $48 million (KRW 70 billion) in investment this year, with the fundraising process expected to complete this month. Founded in 2017 by June Paik, who previously worked at Samsung Electronics and AMD, FuriosaAI has developed two AI chips, Warboy and Renegade (RNGD), to compete with industry giants like Nvidia and AMD.
FuriosaAI has tested its RNGD chip in collaboration with LG AI Research and Aramco, with reports suggesting the chips are particularly suited for reasoning models. LG AI Research plans to integrate these chips into its AI infrastructure, and FuriosaAI aims to launch them later this year.
