With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the investment boom among AI chip manufacturers is gradually heating up. Among them, Blaize has attracted widespread attention in the market. Founded by former Intel engineers, the company announced that it will go public on Nasdaq through a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) on January 14, 2025.

image.png

Blaize, established in 2011 and headquartered in El Dorado Hills, California, has raised $335 million in funding, primarily from well-known companies such as Samsung and Mercedes-Benz. Unlike Nvidia, which primarily targets large data centers, Blaize focuses on manufacturing AI chips for edge applications. These chips are mainly integrated into smart products such as security cameras, drones, and industrial robots, aiming to meet the demands for low power consumption, low latency, and cost-effectiveness.

Dinakar Munagala, CEO of Blaize, stated in an interview with TechCrunch that AI-driven edge computing will be the trend of the future, as it also offers advantages in data privacy. Although Blaize is still a small player in the vast AI chip market, with only $3.8 million in revenue and a loss of $87.5 million in 2023, Munagala pointed out that chip manufacturers need significant capital investment to build production capacity to achieve scalability in the future.

Currently, Blaize has $400 million in potential deals, including a procurement order signed with an unnamed defense agency in the Middle East, which could be worth up to $104 million for developing systems that can identify friendly and enemy forces, detect small vessels, and locate drones. Munagala expects Blaize's market value to reach $1.2 billion after the SPAC merger, although this still seems insufficient compared to the private valuations of other companies like Cerebras.

Unlike Blaize, Cerebras focuses on data center chips and is currently preparing for an IPO, but has not yet gone public. Munagala believes that Blaize's listing represents an investment in the future shift of AI chips from centralized data centers to broader physical product integration.

"All the hype around AI is centered on data centers, while many real-world use cases have been overlooked," Munagala said. He emphasized the importance of Blaize's focus on applying AI in real life.

Official website: https://www.blaize.com/

Key Points:

🌟 Blaize will go public through SPAC on January 14, 2025, focusing on edge computing AI chips.  

💰 The company is currently facing a loss of $87.5 million, with revenue of $3.8 million, but has $400 million in potential deals in hand.  

🚀 The CEO expects Blaize's market value to reach $1.2 billion post-listing, committed to driving the integration of AI chips into real products.