About Cognichip
Cognichip, based in San Francisco, builds AI models for designing semiconductors, an approach it calls artificial chip intelligence. The aim is to automate steps of chip design that engineers now do largely by hand, so that new chips cost less and take less time. The company says its models draw on the laws of physics as well as data, and the cost and time savings it cites are its own claims. It was founded in 2024 by Faraj Aalaei, who previously served as chief executive of Centillium Communications.
Cognichip was founded in 2024 and is based in San Francisco, CA, United States. It is listed under ASICs, Custom Silicon. Reported funding is $60M Series A (Apr 2026).
Compute Technologies
- Custom Silicon
- ASICs
What Cognichip works on
ASICs
An ASIC, or application-specific integrated circuit, is a chip designed to do one job or a narrow set of jobs. Its circuits are fixed when the chip is made. A CPU can run any program; an ASIC does what it was designed for and nothing else.
Custom Silicon
Custom silicon means a company designs its own chips for its own products or data centers instead of buying standard parts. The chip is made by a foundry such as TSMC, but the design belongs to the customer.
