FuriosaAI Wins LG as First Major Client for Its AI Chip ‘Renegade’

South Korean AI chip startup FuriosaAI has achieved a major milestone by securing LG AI Research as its first major customer. After seven months of thorough testing, LG has approved FuriosaAI’s AI chip, RNGD (pronounced “Renegade”), to power its Exaone large-language models. This collaboration marks a turning point for FuriosaAI, which aims to compete with industry giants like Nvidia, as well as emerging players such as Groq, SambaNova Systems, and Cerebras Systems.

Founded in 2017 by June Paik, a former executive at Samsung Electronics and AMD, FuriosaAI focuses on developing high-performance semiconductors for AI inferencing. According to the company, RNGD offers 2.25 times better performance per watt compared to traditional graphics processing units (GPUs).

FuriosaAI is part of a growing group of Korean startups, including Rebellions Inc. and Semifive Inc., that are leveraging the country’s robust semiconductor ecosystem built around giants like Samsung and SK Hynix.

The partnership with LG will see the RNGD chip being used across various sectors, from electronics to finance, and will also support LG’s internal enterprise AI tool, ChatExaone, which is set for wider rollout.

Earlier this year, FuriosaAI made headlines after reportedly declining an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta, choosing instead to remain independent. The company now plans to raise capital and prepare for a potential IPO, while expanding into the US, Middle East, and Southeast Asia in the coming months.

Source: The Economic Times