Syntiant raises $35 million for AI speech-processing edge chips

Syntiant, a startup developing AI edge hardware for voice and sensor solutions, today closed a $35 million round. CEO Kurt Busch says the funds will be used to ramp up production throughout the remainder of 2020. According to a report published by Meticulous Research, the speech and voice recognition hardware market is expected to reach $26.8 billion by 2025. That's because devices like smart speakers, smart displays, phones, headphones, hearing aids, and laptops require low-power chips to process utterances. While some system-on-chip offerings sport coprocessors to handle voice recognition, they're often not able to accommodate multiple form factors. Three-year-old Syntiant, which is headquartered in Irvine, California, provides hardware that merges machine learning with semiconductor design for always-on voice applications.