DeepScale is a technology company.
DeepScale has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds.
DeepScale has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
DeepScale was a technology company that developed multi-modal sensor fusion powered by deep learning to advance autonomous driving capabilities. Its platform enabled autonomous vehicles through training data for deep learning algorithms, rapid deep neural network (DNN) training, and perceptual software like "Carver" for real-time object detection, lane identification, and drivable area segmentation.[1][2] The company served automotive OEMs and suppliers, solving the challenge of running efficient, high-performance DNNs on resource-constrained hardware such as automotive-grade chips and ARM processors, achieving up to 0.6 tera-ops/sec with compact models.[2] DeepScale raised $18.98M before being acquired by Tesla in October 2019, marking strong growth momentum in the self-driving tech race.[1][2]
DeepScale was co-founded in 2015 by Forrest Iandola and Kurt Keutzer in Mountain View, California.[1][2] Iandola, with a background in efficient neural networks like SqueezeNet from his UC Berkeley research, and Keutzer, a professor specializing in AI hardware optimization, identified the need for lightweight DNNs that could power perception in vehicles without massive compute.[2] Early traction came from innovating smaller, faster networks beyond SqueezeNet; by 2018, the company secured $15M in Series A funding and partnerships with suppliers like Visteon and Hella Aglaia.[2] This momentum culminated in the 2019 Tesla acquisition, integrating its tech into Tesla's Full Self-Driving efforts.[1][2]
(Note: Unrelated entities like Deepscale Technologies, an IT services firm dissolved in 2022, share similar names but focus on cloud and support services, not AI/autonomous tech.[3][5])
DeepScale rode the autonomous vehicle boom of the mid-2010s, when lidar/radar/camera fusion and DNNs promised Level 4/5 self-driving amid investments from Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla.[1][2] Timing was ideal: exploding AV datasets demanded efficient inference on vehicles, not data centers, aligning with chip shortages and safety regulations favoring edge AI.[2] Market forces like Tesla's Dojo training push and supplier consolidation (e.g., partnerships with Visteon/Hella) amplified its impact.[2] Post-acquisition, DeepScale's tech bolstered Tesla's vision-only FSD stack, influencing the shift from sensor-heavy to DNN-centric AVs and accelerating industry adoption of squeezed models for real-world deployment.[1][2]
Since its 2019 acquisition, DeepScale's innovations live on within Tesla's autonomous driving pipeline, likely enhancing HW3/HW4 inference efficiency and contributing to robotaxi ambitions. Looking ahead, trends like vision transformers, end-to-end neural driving (e.g., Tesla's 2025+ updates), and regulatory pushes for safer AVs will shape its legacy tech. As Tesla scales unsupervised FSD, DeepScale's edge-optimized fusion could evolve influence toward broader robotics, tying back to its core mission of democratizing deep learning for mobility—proving pivotal in the race to trillion-parameter vehicle brains.
DeepScale has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
DeepScale's investors include 11.2 Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, Atlas Venture, Autotech Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Greylock, Hardware Club, M34 Capital, NEO, Next47, Playground Global.
DeepScale has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Series A in April 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2018 | $15.0M Series A | 11.2 Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, Atlas Venture, Autotech Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Greylock, Hardware Club, M34 Capital, NEO, Next47, Playground Global, Point72 Ventures, SV Angel, Walden International, Hadi Partovi, Jerry Fiddler | |
| Mar 1, 2017 | $3.0M Seed | 11.2 Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, Atlas Venture, Autotech Ventures, Base Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Matt Ocko, Emergence Capital, Ensemble VC, Greylock, Hardware Club, Harrison Metal, M34 Capital, Maven Ventures, MPM Capital, NEO, Next47, Playground Global, Point72 Ventures, Scheinman Angel Fund, Sequoia Capital, SV Angel, TSVC Capital, Walden International, Wisdom LLP, Bart Swanson, Bill Tai, Hadi Partovi, Jerry Fiddler, Subrah Iyar |