Quadric is a technology company.
Quadric has raised $27.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Quadric has raised $27.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Quadric has raised $27.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Quadric's investors include Xerox Ventures, Uncork Capital.
Quadric is a semiconductor IP company that builds a licensable, general‑purpose neural processing unit (GPNPU) called Chimera to enable flexible, high‑efficiency on‑device AI inference across edge and embedded systems[2][6].
High‑Level Overview
Quadric delivers programmable AI processor intellectual property (IP) — the Chimera GPNPU — that licensees integrate into system‑on‑chip (SoC) designs to run ML inference and traditional DSP/control code on the same core, from low‑power edge devices to high‑performance automotive and AI PC applications[2][6]. Quadric positions Chimera as a “design once, update forever” blueprint that supports a wide range of model types (CNNs, vision transformers, LLM inference, etc.) and scales from single TOPS to hundreds of TOPS (the company reports configurations up to ~800 TOPS/1 TOPS–hundreds of TOPS range), making it useful for automotive ADAS, industrial sensors, robotics, consumer devices and AI PCs[2][1][4]. Quadric began delivering licensable IP products in 2022 and moved to product deliveries in 2023, with subsequent generational updates (third‑gen Chimera and automotive safety variants) and many hardware configurations to match customer needs[2].
Origin Story
Quadric was founded in the mid‑2010s (commonly cited founding years: 2016) to tackle the limitation of fixed‑function NPUs and fragmented heterogeneous SoC stacks; it initially proved its architecture with a test chip in 2021 and released its first licensable GPNPU in November 2022, followed by product deliveries in Q2 2023[2][3]. The company has headquarters and engineering presence tied to California and New Mexico (company materials list Burlingame, CA and earlier press mentions Albuquerque), and raised multiple funding rounds to advance its IP roadmap, including a Series B funding event to expand platform scope[2][4]. Early traction included design wins across performance ranges and industry recognition (industry awards for Edge AI IP in 2025)[2][4].
Core Differentiators
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
Quadric rides several converging trends: the shift of AI from cloud to edge, growing demand for on‑device inference (for latency, privacy, cost and reliability), and the proliferation of custom/proprietary models that require flexible, programmable accelerators rather than fixed‑function NPUs[2][6][1]. Timing matters because modern model diversity (vision transformers, LLMs and model customization) increases the risk that rigid NPUs become obsolete, creating an opening for general‑purpose, software‑defined processors that can be updated after tape‑out[6][1]. Market forces in Quadric’s favor include rising unit volumes of AI‑enabled consumer and automotive devices, stronger OEM desire to control model IP, and the economics of licensing IP vs. developing a full in‑house accelerator. By offering a single core that handles ML and DSP/control, Quadric aims to reduce SoC complexity and shorten time‑to‑market for licensees, influencing SoC design patterns where unified ML/DSP programmability becomes a competitive differentiator[6][2][4].
Quick Take & Future Outlook
What’s next: Quadric is likely to continue expanding Chimera’s performance envelope, increasing certified configurations (including safety‑certified automotive variants), and growing design wins with semiconductor and systems licensees who need flexible on‑device AI[2][4]. Trends that will shape Quadric’s path include continued model fragmentation (driving demand for programmability), growth in on‑device LLM inference and multimodal workloads (raising TOPS and memory bandwidth requirements), and competitive pressure from other IP vendors and integrated SoC suppliers that may offer alternative approaches. If Quadric sustains design wins and the DevStudio ecosystem matures, the company could tilt SoC architects toward unified GPNPU integration as a mainstream approach for future edge AI chips[6][2].
Quick reminder: this profile synthesizes Quadric’s public company materials and industry coverage describing the Chimera GPNPU, its product timeline, and positioning as an IP licensor for on‑device AI inference[2][6][4].
Quadric has raised $27.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Series B in December 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2022 | $6.0M Series B | Xerox Ventures | |
| Mar 1, 2022 | $21.0M Series B | Uncork Capital |