Cognichip ACI Enterprise for AI-Driven Chip Design

Cognichip, Inc. is an AI-first semiconductor design company founded in 2024 and headquartered in Redwood City, California. It addresses the high cost and long, sequential cycles of chip development, which are slowing the delivery of new AI silicon.

Its Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI) Enterprise platform is built on a physics-informed foundation model for chip design and combines datasets, models and infrastructure in one stack. Workflow modules let engineers modify existing designs and integrate IP, create designs from requirements to specifications and RTL models, verify designs with generated test plans and UVM testbenches, optimise power, performance and area before synthesis, and generate FPGA prototypes through the Cast module. The company reports engagements with more than 30 semiconductor companies across digital, analog, mixed-signal and foundry environments.

• Physics-informed foundation model: an AI model trained for semiconductor design under data governance.
• Modify: ingests existing repositories, integrates IP and estimates PPA for design changes.
• Create: imports requirements, explores architectures and generates specifications and RTL models.
• Verify: generates test plans and UVM testbenches, automates root-cause analysis and fills coverage holes.
• Optimize: estimates PPA before synthesis, identifies the Pareto front and recentres PPA corners.
• Cast for FPGA: generates FPGA prototypes, transactors and host software for system-level debug.

A Vietnamese chip design centre can use the Verify module to generate UVM testbenches and close coverage faster on customer projects. A local fabless startup can explore architectures and estimate PPA before committing to synthesis. An electronics manufacturer developing custom controllers can prototype designs on FPGA through the Cast module.

The company states that its platform can reduce chip design costs by up to 75% and shorten development timelines by about 50%. Design, verification and optimisation tasks can run in parallel instead of in sequence. Pre-synthesis PPA estimation helps teams explore architectures earlier. SOC 2 certification supports secure deployment into chip design environments.

Demand for custom AI silicon is rising faster than the supply of experienced chip designers, and design costs at advanced nodes keep increasing. AI foundation models are moving from assistants into end-to-end design flows. Vietnam is building its chip design workforce and design centres, and AI-assisted flows can help smaller teams take on more complex projects.

Founded in 2024 by CEO Faraj Aalaei; headquartered at 1 Twin Dolphin Dr, Redwood City, California. Raised a USD 60 million Series A in April 2026 led by Seligman Ventures with SBI Investment, bringing total funding to USD 93 million; seed investors include Mayfield, Lux Capital, FPV and Candou Ventures. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan joined the board. SOC 2 certified.