EdgeQ emerges from stealth with $51 million in funding to gravitate the cloud to the edge with 5G and AI

Today’s connectivity and compute constructs are based on legacy networks that are largely closed and monolithic. As new sets of devices (robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, etc.) enter the network, coupling reliable connectivity and AI compute at the edge becomes essential.

Traditional, purpose-built fixed hardware can no longer scale efficiently and economically to support 5G service-oriented applications. A new modern approach is required to harness fast connectivity and AI compute at both the devices and infrastructure.

Enter EdgeQ, a Silicon Valley tech startup that aims to deliver a converged 5G and AI silicon platform that is open and software programmable for both devices and edge infrastructure. By introducing open programmability to the baseband, EdgeQ provides a new software-driven development model for OEMs and operators that can support existing cellular protocols, such as 4G, 5G, and beyond.

Today, EdgeQ announced it has emerged from stealth with $51 million in total funding to address the untapped 5G infrastructure market. The funding, which includes $38.5 million in a Series A round, was backed by renowned investors Threshold Ventures, Fusion Fund, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang (AME Cloud Ventures), and others.

Founded by Vinay Ravuri, the Santa Clara, California-based EdgeQ is a 5G systems-on-a-chip company. EdgeQ aims to address the untapped 5G infrastructure market as the first company to converge 5G connectivity and AI compute onto a system-on-a-chip. The company is led by executives from Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom, EdgeQ is pioneering converged connectivity and AI that is fully software-customizable and programmable.

By unifying 5G and AI at the nearest focal point of data at the edge, EdgeQ will allow enterprises (in manufacturing, construction, energy, automotive, warehousing, surveillance, telco, and other verticals) to harness private networking for disruptive applications, intelligent services, and new business models.

“We are rapidly evolving from a smartphone economy to a constellation of intelligent edge devices. This will cause massive disruption to the current paradigm, where existing fixed-function approaches are inadequate to meet the scale, speed, and breadth of new end connections,” said Vinay Ravuri, CEO and founder of EdgeQ. “By building 5G and AI hardware in a newly imaginative, software-friendly manner, we empower and inspire customers with an open and programmable platform that is adaptable, configurable, and economical for 5G-based applications.”

To execute this vision, EdgeQ assembled a distinguished team of semiconductor, 5G, Wi-Fi, and AI industry veterans with decades of leadership experience from Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom. Collectively, EdgeQ’s leadership team has successfully delivered decades of cellular modem technology that powers much of today’s cellular handset and infrastructure market, as well as up-and-coming AI acceleration for data centers.

“The 5G ecosystem is nascent today. The market has a limited set of players delivering 5G solutions designed around smartphones and legacy networks. There is a huge opportunity for innovation and disruption particularly for U.S. companies,” said Mohammad Islam, Partner, Threshold Ventures. “EdgeQ is poised to capture that and become the leading U.S. 5G company. With an elite founding team, they have developed a groundbreaking software-defined platform that serves a market set to grow exponentially during the next decade. As the first company to combine compute and 5G connectivity in a single chip, EdgeQ is at the forefront of the critical 5G infrastructure space.”