Top Researchers Leave Intel To Build Startup With 'The Biggest, Baddest CPU'

Four founders of AheadComputing, a Beaverton startup, spent nearly a century at Intel, working as top chip architects to develop new generations of microprocessors. They left Intel to build a new class of microprocessor on an entirely different architecture. AheadComputing is betting on an open architecture called RISC-V, which aims to craft a streamlined microprocessor that works more efficiently. The company's founders and 80 employees, many of whom are Intel alumni, are breaking away from their previous work to start a business with fewer than 100 employees. They believe they have a better chance at leading a revolution in semiconductor technology at a startup than at a big company like Intel. AheadComputing could be at the forefront of renewal in Oregon's semiconductor ecosystem. The company envisions its chips powering PCs, laptops, and data centers, with possible clients including Google, Amazon, Samsung, or other large computing companies. It will be years before AheadComputing's designs are on the market. The founders took a chance to start a business, leaving behind the security of a big company like Intel.