- The Edge AI market is growing at 35% CAGR, driven by the demand for low-latency, high performance per watt local processing.
- Tokyo-based EdgeCortix’s “OS for Edge AI” combines a runtime-reconfigurable silicon accelerator with an intelligent software stack to deliver optimal edge performance. Its patented Dynamic Neural Accelerator (NPU) architecture deftly handles workloads from CNNs to Transformers with remarkable power efficiency and memory bandwidth, while the MERA compiler and software stack runs seamlessly across heterogenous edge environments, including mixed deployments of CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and MCUs.
- TDK Ventures is making a strategic investment in EdgeCortix to further accelerate the mass-production of EdgeCortix's highly successful SAKURA-II AI co-processors as well as fuel the rapid production of the next-generation high-performance SAKURA-X chiplet platform.
TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) announced today that its corporate venture-capital subsidiary, TDK Ventures, Inc., is investing in the Series B funding round of EdgeCortix® Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company specializing in energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing at the edge. The TDK Ventures investment will further accelerate the mass-production of EdgeCortix's highly successful SAKURA-II AI co-processors, which have secured design-wins across multiple industries, as well as help fuel the rapid production of the next-generation high performance SAKURA-X chiplet platform.
EdgeCortix’s core technology is its patented, software-first, hardware-software co-design framework, embodied in the SAKURA®-II Edge AI Platform. The platform integrates reconfigurable silicon with a dedicated compiler and runtime stack to deliver efficient and adaptable AI processing across heterogenous edge environments. This unique approach powers EdgeCortix’s own hardware and also acts as a “runtime of runtimes” for third-party processors, an elegant way to unify the fragmented, heterogeneous edge hardware landscape. Built on Dynamic Neural Accelerator® (DNA) technology, the SAKURA-II platform offers run-time reconfigurability and high parallelism to efficiently support a robust range of model types, from CNNs, to Transformers. The company’s AI accelerator modules and cards deliver up to 240 TOPS of compute performance for energy-efficient Generative AI processing of demanding edge applications, serving sectors including, Robotics, Industrial & Manufacturing, Aerospace, Defense, Space, Security and Telecommunications. With its forthcoming chiplet-based architecture, EdgeCortix is well-positioned to lead the next major wave of Edge AI growth and adoption.
This latest funding brings the company’s total cumulative capital, including equity investments and substantial non-dilutive government awards since December 2024, in excess of US$110 million. The Series B round, which began with an initial close in August 2025, continues to attract significant interest from prominent global investors, who recognize EdgeCortix's innovative AI technologies, strategic leadership, and robust customer traction.
This also marks TDK Ventures’ first investment in a Japan-based company. “EdgeCortix is an exemplary company that represents a major evolution in the edge AI compute space,” said Nicolas Sauvage, president of TDK Ventures. "Its 'King of the Hill' position in the 'Thick Edge' segment enables its list of varied customers to deploy Generative AI and other complex AI workloads at the very edge. Their unique hardware-software co-design technology offers an unparalleled combination of performance and power efficiency, essential for the next generation of AI and Generative AI applications. We are excited to support their mission.”
EdgeCortix is led by founder and CEO Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, an award-winning physicist-turned artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technologist, and entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience in taking cutting-edge AI research from a mere idea to scalable products across semiconductors, robotics, finance, defense and aerospace sectors. He holds over 30 US patents. The management team is made up of seasoned veterans Atsushi Matsumoto, Executive VP of Finance & Operations; Tim Vehling, Executive VP Global Sales & Business Development; and Jeffrey H. Grosman, Executive VP of Marketing & US Operations, alongside other seasoned leaders.
“The strong support from both existing and new investors is a clear endorsement of EdgeCortix’s market position and proven success across varied business sectors, such as robotics, industrial automation, defense, aerospace, and space exploration,” said Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Founder and CEO of EdgeCortix. "With a global operational footprint, we are proud of our journey and our team’s accomplishments so far, while recognizing that this is just the beginning. We are elated that TDK Ventures believes in our mission and shares our vision on how to obtain it. We also take pride in becoming the first investment in a Japanese company by TDK Ventures, since their founding. We are looking forward to a deep, long-term partnership that accelerates our progress, with their full weight behind us.”
TDK Ventures joins a notable group of investors in the EdgeCortix Series B funding, including CBID Cross Border Innovation, Jane Street Capital, Yanmar Ventures, Pacific Bays Capital, NTT Finance Corporation, SiC Power, and Aero X Ventures, along with existing investors, such as SBI Investments and Global Hands-On VC.
TDK Ventures is committed to finding and impacting scaling technologies on the frontiers of innovation, whose contributions have the potential to build a better, brighter future for all of humanity. To learn more about TDK Ventures, interested startups or investment partners should visit www.tdk-ventures.com or reach out at contact@tdk-ventures.com.
About TDK Corporation
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) is a global technology company and innovation leader in the electronics industry, based in Tokyo, Japan. With the tagline “In Everything, Better” TDK aims to realize a better future across all aspects of life, industry, and society. For over 90 years, TDK has shaped the world from within; from the pioneering ferrite cores to cassette tapes that defined an era, to powering the digital age with advanced components, sensors, and batteries, leading the way towards a more sustainable future. United by TDK Venture Spirit, a start-up mentality built on visions, courage and mutual trust, TDK’s passionate team members around the globe pursue better—for ourselves, customers, partners, and the world. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies of TDK are in everything, from industrial applications, energy systems, electric vehicles, to smartphones and gaming, at the core of modern life. TDK’s comprehensive, innovative-driven portfolio includes cutting-edge passive components, sensors and sensor systems, power supplies, lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, magnetic heads, AI and enterprise software solutions, and more—featuring numerous market-leading products. These are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics, TDK-Lambda, TDK SensEI, and ATL. Positioning the AI ecosystem as a key strategic area, TDK leverages its global network across the automotive, information and communication technology, and industrial equipment sectors to expand its business in a wide range of fields. In fiscal 2025, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.4 billion and employed about 105,000 people worldwide.
About TDK Ventures
TDK Ventures Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in materials science, energy/power and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as robotics and industrial, next-generation transportation, mixed reality and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or contact@tdk-ventures.com.
About EdgeCortix, Inc.
EdgeCortix, Inc. is a leading fabless semiconductor company founded in 2019 with R&D headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. The company specializes in energy-efficient AI processing of Generative AI workloads at the edge. EdgeCortix's patented hardware-software co-design methodology enables highly efficient runtime-reconfigurable AI accelerators, delivering exceptional performance for edge applications in defense, aerospace, smart cities, Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, telecommunications, and robotics. For more information, please visit https://www.edgecortix.com/en/
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