
Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company founded in 2016 by serial semiconductor entrepreneurs Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles. Toon previously led XMOS and Picochip, while Knowles co-founded Element14 (acquired by Broadcom) and Icera (acquired by NVIDIA for $435M). The company developed Intelligence Processing Units (IPUs), novel AI accelerators designed from the ground up for machine learning workloads, alongside the proprietary Poplar graph programming framework. Graphcore raised $767M in total funding, reaching a $2.77B valuation, with backing from Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Amadeus, Microsoft, and others. In July 2024, SoftBank Group acquired Graphcore for approximately $500M to $600M. The company continues to operate from Bristol with plans to expand its UK headcount to 750.
AccelerComm is a Southampton-based semiconductor IP company spun out of the University of Southampton's Electronics and Computer Science department in 2016 by Professor Rob Maunder and Dr Taihai Chen. The company commercialises forward error correction and channel coding algorithms for 5G, 6G, and satellite non-terrestrial networks, with products including high-performance LDPC and POLAR error correction IP. AccelerComm's technology powers over 200 production satellites currently in orbit, with customers including Vodafone, Intel, AMD, and National Instruments. The company raised a total of $52.8M, including a £21.5M Series B in 2023 led by ParkWalk, SwisscomVentures, and Hostplus, and a subsequent $15M round in 2025.
Porotech is a University of Cambridge spinout founded in 2018 following over a decade of research in gallium nitride materials, formally spun out in January 2020. Led by CEO Dr Tongtong Zhu with 15+ years of III-nitride semiconductor expertise, CSO Professor Rachel Oliver (Director of the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride), and CTO Dr Yingjun Liu, the company created a novel porous GaN semiconductor material enabling next-generation micro-LED displays. The technology offers brighter, sharper displays for smartphones, smartwatches, AR/VR headsets, and outdoor environments. Porotech has raised $25.4M to date, including a £3M seed extension led by Speedinvest and a $20M Series A in 2022 led by Ameba Capital.
Cambridge GaN Devices was spun out from Cambridge University's Department of Engineering in 2016 by Dr Giorgia Longobardi (CEO) and Professor Florin Udrea (CTO). The fabless semiconductor company designs and commercialises gallium nitride power transistors and integrated circuits through its proprietary ICeGaN technology, enabling energy efficiency levels exceeding 99% and reducing energy consumption by up to 50% in applications including data centre power supplies and automotive electric vehicles. The technology builds on decades of GaN research at Cambridge, with Udrea's work recognised through induction into the ISPSD Hall of Fame. The company raised $32M in a Series C in February 2025, bringing total funding to over $60M from investors including IQ Capital, ParkWalk, BGF, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Foresight Group, and British Patient Capital.
PowerMatrix was founded in 2024 by Borong Hu, who brings over a decade of power electronics expertise including leading power converter development for GE's largest wind turbine and managing power supply innovation at Bitmain. Hu holds a PhD in power electronics from the University of Warwick and completed postdoctoral research at Cambridge, publishing 60 academic papers with 650 citations and winning the IEEE ECCE William Portnoy Award. The company develops advanced power conversion systems for AI and data centres, delivering 80% smaller form factors and 50% energy loss reduction compared to conventional systems. PowerMatrix's innovations span semiconductors, circuits, materials, and packaging to address multi-stage power conversion efficiency challenges.