US startup Tenstorrent to help train Japanese chip designers

Silicon Valley AI semiconductor startup Tenstorrent has secured a deal with the Japanese government to help train up to 200 Japanese chip designers at its US offices over five years.

The USD 50 million partnership between Tenstorrent and Japan’s Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC) is part of Japan’s efforts to boost its semiconductor industry, according to Reuters.

“As part of this program with LSTC, Tenstorrent will bring up to 200 silicon engineers from Japan to come work at their United States sites and work on their cutting-edge AI/ML technology over the course of five years,” the company said in a media release. “Tenstorrent will partner with large-scale technology companies and top universities in Japan to nominate program participants to join the cohort, starting in late 2024 with the first official cohort projected to start in April 2025.”

Japan is supporting domestic companies like contract chipmaker Rapidus, which aims to build advanced chips and start mass production by 2027. 

But the Rapidus facility will need customers who agree to get their chip designs manufactured there. The Tenstorrent deal is a step towards creating those future customers, according to a Reuters report.

The engineers from Japan will work on a variety of Tenstorrent’s technology throughout their program. They will then return to their companies in Japan with in-depth knowledge of Tenstorrent’s technology, product and engineering philosophy, enabling Japanese companies to incorporate more leading-edge technology into their ecosystem, Tenstorrent said in a media release.

“It’s a true honor to spearhead such an innovative program with the Japanese government and continue to cultivate our ecosystem in their country,” David Bennett, Chief Customer Officer at Tenstorrent, said. “Not only are we getting the opportunity to nurture the next generation of Japan’s brightest engineers, but on a broader scope, we are helping Japan revitalize their silicon industry and technology leadership.”

“I am very pleased to see Tenstorrent’s continued impact in Japan,” said Tetsuro Higashi, chairman of LSTC. “This is a groundbreaking program between Tenstorrent and Japan, and sending Japan’s top engineers to become experts in Tenstorrent’s technology will be pivotal in growing their ecosystem and propelling forward our efforts here as we build our edge 2nm AI accelerator in partnership with them.”