Tenstorrent, a Silicon Valley artificial intelligence chip startup founded by Apple and Intel veterans, said it had won a deal with the Japanese government to help train up to 200 Japanese chip designers at its U.S. offices over five years.
The contract announced on Tuesday, under which $50 million will be divvied up among Tenstorrent and Japan's Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center, is part of Japan's effort to reinvigorate its semiconductor industry. The country controlled half or more of the global chips market through the 1980s but has less than a tenth of the market today.
The centerpiece of Japan's efforts is Rapidus, a contract chipmaker with billions of dollars in government backing aiming to build advanced semiconductors in Japan and start mass production by 2027. But to succeed, the Rapidus factory will need to find customers who want their chip designs manufactured there.
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