What Keysom does

Keysom is a French deeptech company founded in July 2022 near Bordeaux (Pessac) that builds configurable RISC-V processor IP and a no-code design platform for embedded and edge AI applications. Its product portfolio comprises three tiers of RISC-V cores — K-Essential for minimal-footprint IoT, K-Flex for balanced sensor-class workloads, and K-Vector for high-performance edge AI and signal processing — plus the CoreXplorer platform, which enables design space exploration across millions of configuration combinations and automatically generates RTL, compilers, debuggers, IDE configurations, drivers, and HAL components without requiring RTL expertise. The company validated its IP with a first tape-out of the K1 core on Skywater 130nm in 2024 and released CoreXplorer V1 in 2025.

The company monetizes through three primary streams: CoreXplorer platform subscriptions, RISC-V processor IP licensing, and bespoke custom processor design services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is delivered via a consultative, quote-based enterprise sales motion with "Request a Demo" and "Contact Sales" calls to action on the website. Target customers include IoT device manufacturers, edge AI companies, and industrial automation firms needing energy-efficient, customized processor solutions without the overhead of full RTL development cycles. Keysom's go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales with event-driven lead generation at RISC-V Summit, Embedded World, and IP SoC conferences.

Keysom is venture-backed with a €4 million round closed in October 2024 (Bpifrance, Epopée Gestion, EuroBIM, IRDI SORIDEC Gestion), was awarded iLab in 2023, received the Audience Award at the Trophées de l'Embarqué in April 2024, and was named a French Tech 2030 laureate in November 2025. The four founders — Cyril Sagonero (CEO), Luca Testa (COO), Jérémie Crenne (Hardware CTO), and Fabrice Bonnet (Software CTO) — continue to lead the company, which operates with 11–50 employees from the Bordeaux/Pessac region and serves primarily European customers.

Name

Keysom

Legal name

KEYSOM SAS

Website

https://keysom.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Keysom is a French deeptech startup (founded 2022, Bordeaux) that develops configurable RISC-V processor cores (K-Essential, K-Flex, K-Vector) and a no-code design platform (CoreXplorer) for IoT, industrial, and edge AI applications, monetized via IP licensing, platform subscriptions, and custom design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor IP / RISC-V Processor Design

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Compute & Acceleration ICs (CPU/GPU/AI/FPGA/ASIC) (HDAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF), Design Services & ASIC/SoC Implementation (EDA-Adjacent) (HDAHAFAL)

Keywords

• RISC-V processor IP
• Custom processor design
• No-code chip design
• Edge AI processors
• Embedded IoT cores

Headquarters

HQ city

Pessac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Tools Licensing: CoreXplorer platform licenses for no-code processor design, likely sold as annual subscriptions or perpetual licenses with maintenance
2. Processor IP Licensing: Licensing of K-Core RISC-V processor designs to semiconductor companies and embedded system manufacturers
3. Custom Processor Design Services: Professional services for bespoke RISC-V processor development targeting specific application requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Keysom develops and licenses a portfolio of configurable RISC-V processor cores (K-Essential, K-Flex, K-Vector) and sells CoreXplorer, a no-code platform that automatically generates and compares millions of processor RTL variants along with full toolchains (compilers, debuggers, drivers, HAL). The offering is targeted at semiconductor companies, IoT device makers, and Edge AI developers who need custom processors without RTL expertise.

Product overview

Keysom offers a unified platform comprising three core product lines: Core IP (RISC-V processor cores in K-Essential, K-Flex, and K-Vector families), CoreXplorer (no-code processor design and exploration tool), and Edge AI Solutions (AI workload deployment at the edge). The platform enables customers to configure and generate customized processor RTL along with complete software stacks including compilers, debuggers, and RTOS support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K-Core Architecture: RISC-V processor architecture with privileged modes, configurable breakpoints, watchpoints, pipeline stages, profiling and formal verification capabilities.
• K-Essential
• K-Flex
• K-Vector
• CoreXplorer

Products and services

• Core IP (K-Core Architecture Family) Configurable RISC-V processor IP portfolio targeting embedded systems, IoT, and Edge AI applications. Comprises three families: K-Essential (minimalist 32-bit core for ultra-low-power IoT), K-Flex (balanced core with floating-point unit for smart sensors), and K-Vector (high-performance core with vector extensions for Edge AI and signal processing). Features include configurable ISA, branch prediction, cache hierarchy, memory subsystems, privileged modes, breakpoints, watchpoints, pipeline stages, profiling, and formal verification.
• CoreXplorer No-code graphical design and exploration tool that generates and compares millions of processor variants, enabling users to create custom RISC-V architectures, compare PPA, generate RTL code, and test directly on FPGA. Automatically generates compilers, debuggers, IDE configurations, drivers, and HAL components alongside the processor RTL.
• Edge AI Solutions Hardware and software solution combining Keysom's Core Architectures with CoreXplorer and Edge AI plugins to design tailored architectures and deploy Edge AI applications. Balances computational efficiency with high-performance computing requirements, supporting CNN model execution for edge inferencing without dedicated AI accelerators.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• French TechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench Tech is a French government initiative supporting technology companies; Keysom benefits from association with this brand as part of the French Tech ecosystem.
• ADI (Analog Devices)minorOthersListed as a supporter/organization associated with Keysom, evidenced by logo presence on the Keysom website.
• Nouvelle AquitaineminorOthersRegional government of Nouvelle Aquitaine listed as a supporter on Keysom's website, indicating local ecosystem support.
• Alpha RLHminorOthersBusiness incubator/accelerator listed as a supporter on Keysom's website.
• UnitecminorOthersTechnology/innovation organization listed as a supporter on Keysom's website.
• MinalogicminorOthersMicroelectronics and nanotechnology cluster in Grenoble, listed as a supporter on Keysom's website.
• ChipFlowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChipFlow and Keysom co-authored an article, indicating a mutual technical collaboration and content co-creation relationship in the RISC-V/processor design space.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Codasip: Codasip sells configurable RISC-V processor IP with a Studio tool for custom ISA and microarchitecture exploration — an analogous 'customizable RISC-V IP + design exploration tool' proposition to Keysom's Core IP plus CoreXplorer.
• Andes Technology: Andes Technology is a major licensor of RISC-V (and historically proprietary) processor cores targeting embedded and Edge AI workloads, directly overlapping Keysom's K-Essential/K-Flex/K-Vector value proposition.
• SiFive: SiFive is the leading commercial RISC-V processor IP vendor, offering configurable RISC-V cores (SiFive Core IP) and a no-code tool (SiFive Studio) that directly compete with Keysom's K-Core family and CoreXplorer across the same IoT and Edge AI customer segments.
• Bluespec: Bluespec provides RISC-V IP cores and high-level synthesis tools enabling rapid processor customization — a closely comparable combination of licensable cores and design-automation tooling to Keysom's offering.
• Syntacore: Syntacore designs and licenses configurable RISC-V processor IP for embedded and high-performance applications, competing head-to-head with Keysom in the same customer segments and licensing model.

Broad incumbents

• Imagination Technologies: Imagination Technologies offers a broader IP portfolio (GPU, CPU, NNA) including Catapult RISC-V cores; it competes with Keysom in RISC-V CPU IP but from a much wider, established-IP vendor position.
• ARM: ARM is the dominant processor IP incumbent; its Cortex and Ethos lines compete indirectly with Keysom and shape the RISC-V-vs-ARM market dynamics that determine Keysom's growth runway.
• Cadence (Tensilica): Cadence's Tensilica DSP and configurable processor IP competes with Keysom in custom processor IP for embedded and AI workloads, but is sold as part of Cadence's broader EDA and IP portfolio.
• Synopsys (ARC Processors): Synopsys offers the ARC configurable processor IP family alongside its dominant EDA tools; it competes with Keysom in configurable processor IP but as part of a much broader semiconductor design platform.

Emerging players

• ChipFlow: ChipFlow is a no-code chip-design startup in the RISC-V ecosystem that has co-authored content with Keysom; it overlaps on the no-code custom-silicon tooling thesis but with a different IP-core strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/keysom
• Xx.com/Keysom_io

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keysom