SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – March 25, 2025 – South Korean AI chip startup FuriosaAI has declined an $800 million acquisition offer from US tech giant Meta, choosing instead to pursue its vision as an independent company
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Discussions between FuriosaAI and Meta had been ongoing since early this year, with Meta expressing interest in acquiring the promising Asian firm. However, FuriosaAI, led by CEO June Paik, a former engineer at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., has decided to remain independent and continue its expansion in the rapidly growing AI semiconductor market.
“While we appreciate Meta’s interest in FuriosaAI, we believe that remaining independent allows us to fully realize our potential and continue to innovate at the forefront of AI technology,” said a FuriosaAI spokesperson. “We are confident in our ability to challenge industry leaders and deliver cutting-edge solutions to our customers.”
FuriosaAI develops high-performance semiconductors for AI inferencing and related services. Its second-generation processor, RNGD (pronounced “Renegade”), is designed to compete with products from industry leader Nvidia Corp. as well as fellow startups Groq Inc., SambaNova Systems Inc., and Cerebras Systems Inc. The RNGD chip is built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s 5-nanometer process and utilizes HBM3 memory chips supplied by SK Hynix Inc.
The startup is currently supplying sample chips to a growing list of clients, including LG AI Research, the AI division of South Korea’s LG Group, and Saudi Aramco. FuriosaAI expects to engage with approximately a dozen customers for chip sampling during the first half of this year.
FuriosaAI plans to raise capital before eventually pursuing an initial public offering. The company is expected to close an extended Series C funding round in about a month, which is on track to exceed the targeted amount.
