Exclusive: Normal Computing raises $50M from Samsung Catalyst to tackle soaring AI chip costs and power demands

Normal Computing has raised $50 million in a round led by Samsung Catalyst as the startup pursues a two-pronged bet on the future of AI hardware: using AI to help semiconductor companies design chips more efficiently, while also developing a new kind of processor aimed at reducing energy use.

New investors include Galvanize, Brevan Howard Macro Venture Fund, and ArcTern Ventures, alongside existing backers Celesta Capital, Drive Capital, Eric Schmidt’s First Spark Ventures, and Micron Ventures.

CEO Faris Sbahi told Fortune the company’s software platform is already being used by more than half of the top 10 semiconductor companies by revenue, as it targets one of the industry’s biggest challenges: the rising cost and complexity of designing advanced AI chips, where even small errors can lead to expensive delays and rework.

Designing advanced AI chips has become so complex that even getting a design to “tape-out”—the point where it’s finalized for........

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