Blaize

Blaize (formerly known as ThinCI) offers artificial intelligence (AI) computing hardware and software products aimed to facilitate the migration of AI computing out of the data center to the edge. Founded in 2010 and out of stealth in November 2019, Blaize initially focused on chips to speed up vision and radar. Subsequently, its focus has expanded to data centers, edge infrastructure devices, and enterprise client devices. 

The Blaize platforms are built on the Blaize Graph Streaming Processor (GSP) architecture. Most of the company’s chips offer 16 tera operations per second (TOPS; with the exception of the Xplorer X1600P, which offers 64 TOPS), 20x better system-level efficiency vs. GPU/FPGA/CPUs for edge AI applications, enables 6x less memory bandwidth, and 10x lower latency. 

Additionally, its software suite comprises the Picasso System Development Kit (SDK) and AI studio. The SDK is aimed at software engineers working on algorithms, while the AI studio (launched in December 2020) is a no-code visual interface catering to a broad range of skill levels. The AI studio aims to reduce the cost, complexity, and time associated with deploying edge AI.    

The company caters to a wide range of end-users through its smart vision and automotive mobility applications. For instance, its smart vision uses data derived from visual devices such as cameras to enable smart factories, smart retail, and smart cities. In September 2020, Blaize launched its “Xplorer” and “Pathfinder” platforms.  

Key customers and partnerships

The company has also entered into several product and sales partnerships in the Asian region. It partnered with Vecow  (in September 2021) to launch the Vecow “ECX-2400” workstation-grade AI Computing System, reportedly capable of delivering up to 80 TOPS. It also partnered with Weikeng Industrial Co Ltd, (June 2021), Digital China Information Service Co Ltd (DCITS) (October 2021), and NSITEXE (November 2020) to expand its sales footprint.  In May 2022, the company partnered with Innovatrics , a facial recognition solutions provider, to develop ready-to-use facial recognition solutions for access control and public security. In September 2022, Blaize, partnered with OrionVM , a cloud platform and infrastructure provider, to develop a new edge AI service. The new solution enables organizations across a number of different industries to virtualize graph streaming processor chips for edge AI and sensor fusion applications and develop dedicated AI environments and applications that use large data sets.  

Funding and financials

In April 2024 , Blaize raised USD 106 million in a funding round. The round saw participation from current investors such as Bess Ventures, Franklin Templeton, DENSO, Mercedes Benz, and Temasek, along with new financial backers Rizvi Traverse, Ava Investors, and BurTech LP LLC. The capital raised will bolster Blaize's balance sheet and expedite the development of its AI computing platforms and solutions, primarily from the Edge to the data center.