UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the accelerator of University of California (UC) Berkeley, has announced an initiative in partnership with corporates SiFive, Cadence and TSMC that will focus on semiconductor technology startups.
Dubbed Chip Track, it is a 12-month program aimed at companies developing chips for applications such as machine learning, computer vision, low-power embedded internet-of-things devices and high-performance data centres.
Each participant will receive $100,000 in funding from Berkeley SkyDeck Fund and will be able to access the expertise of scientific and industry advisers.
The accelerator has partnered SiFive, a fabless provider of customised semiconductors based on research at UC Berkeley, as well as integrated circuit design tool producer Cadence and semiconductor foundry TSMC to develop the track.
SkyDeck is accepting applications through October 31, with the cohort to be selected in time for a spring 2019 start. Chon Tang, managing director of the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, said: “This new program will help bring the silicon back to Silicon Valley.
“By collaborating with key industry leaders like Cadence, TSMC and SiFive, and with the long history of Berkeley’s research labs and alumni responsible for many of the semiconductor companies which defined this space, Berkeley SkyDeck is going to enable a new generation of semiconductor startup founders.”
The original version of this article appeared on our sister site, Global University Venturing.
