Groq Secures $640M Funding, Valued at $2.8B, to Challenge NVIDIA in AI Chip Market

In a significant development in the AI chip industry, Groq, a Silicon Valley-based startup, has raised $640 million in a Series D funding round, valuing the company at $2.8 billion. The funding round was led by BlackRock Private Equity Partners and saw participation from existing and new investors, including Neuberger Berman, Type One Ventures, and strategic investors like Cisco Investments, Global Brain’s KDDI Open Innovation Fund III, and Samsung Catalyst Fund.

Scaling AI Inference Compute

Groq plans to utilize the funding to scale its capacity and deploy over 108,000 LPUs (Language Processing Units) manufactured by GlobalFoundries by the end of Q1 2025. This deployment will be the largest AI inference compute deployment of any non-hyperscaler, enabling Groq to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.

Challenging NVIDIA

Groq’s latest funding round and strategic moves signify a strong effort to challenge NVIDIA in the AI chip market. With cutting-edge technology, strategic partnerships, and a strong leadership team, Groq is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for artificial intelligence computing power, a market expected to reach $400 billion annually within five years.

Industry Recognition

Groq’s technology has gained recognition from industry leaders, with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Meta, acknowledging that “Innovators like Groq have built low-latency, low-cost inference serving for all the new models”. Jonathan Ross, CEO and Founder of Groq, stated, “You can’t power AI without inference compute. We intend to make the resources available so that anyone can create cutting-edge AI products, not just the largest tech companies”.

Strategic Partnerships

Groq’s strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Cisco, Samsung, and GlobalFoundries demonstrate its commitment to delivering innovative AI solutions. The company’s focus on AI inference compute has the potential to disrupt the market and provide a competitive alternative to NVIDIA’s dominance.