Numascale
Norwegian fabless semiconductor company designing cache-coherent node controller chips that enable scale-up server architectures from 8 to 32 CPUs. Its UNC5 technology is supplied to OEM partners Eviden, Dell, and Hitachi for enterprise datacenter, AI, HPC, and mission-critical workloads.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Numascale firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Numascale
- Legal name
- Numascale AS
- Website
- https://numascale.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Norwegian fabless semiconductor company designing cache-coherent node controller chips that enable scale-up server architectures from 8 to 32 CPUs. Its UNC5 technology is supplied to OEM partners Eviden, Dell, and Hitachi for enterprise datacenter, AI, HPC, and mission-critical workloads.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Numascale industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Server Interconnect Hardware
- NAICS
- Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes) (HDAHABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Network/Infrastructure Processors (Switching/Routing/SmartNIC DPUs) (HDAHAJAH), Network Hardware Components (ASICs/NICs/Transceivers) (HDABAFAN), Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF)
Keywords
Where Numascale is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Numascale business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Sale of UNC5 Node Controller chips and related hardware to OEM server vendors who integrate the technology into their server products. Revenue generated from hardware product sales to enterprise server manufacturers.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) technology from Intel, enabling development of interconnect switches. Numascale also licenses its own technology to partners.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Numascale product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Numascale designs and sells Node Controller (NC) semiconductor chips and related IP that act as non-blocking cache-coherent switches, enabling multiple Intel Xeon Scalable (or AMD Opteron) processors to form a single shared-memory system. Its flagship UNC5 Node Controller connects 8 to 32 CPUs via Intel UPI 2.0 and is embedded by OEM partners (Eviden, Dell, Hitachi) into scale-up enterprise servers for datacenter, HPC, AI and in-memory database workloads.
Product overview
Numascale offers a hardware-focused product portfolio centered on interconnect switch technology (Node Controllers) that enables scale-up server architectures with cache-coherent shared memory. The core product line includes the UNC5 Node Controller (current generation for Intel UPI 2.0), the UNC3 Node Controller (prior generation for Intel UPI 1.0), and the NumaChip-1 ASIC and NumaChip-2 FPGA (for AMD HyperTransport). Supporting the hardware is an IP Library of reusable IP blocks and modules for on-chip networks, arbiters, caches, and RISC-V cores. The UNC5 powers scale-up servers from Eviden (BullSequana), Dell, and Hitachi, enabling them to scale from 8 to 32 CPUs as a single system image.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UNC5 Node Controller Latest-generation cache-coherent Node Controller switch for Intel Xeon Scalable processors connecting via UPI 2.0, enabling scale-up servers from 8 to 32 CPUs as a unified cache-coherent shared-memory system with minimal NUMA performance penalty. Sold to OEM server vendors including Eviden (BullSequana), Dell, and Hitachi.
- UNC3 Node Controller First-generation cache-coherent Node Controller switch connecting Intel Xeon Scalable processors via UPI 1.0, developed through Numascale's collaboration with Intel and Bull (Atos). Used in earlier scale-up server designs.
- NumaChip-1 ASIC First-generation ASIC implementing AMD Opteron HyperTransport interconnect for scale-up server designs, developed with AMD starting in 2008.
- NumaChip-2 FPGA Second-generation implementation of AMD Opteron HyperTransport interconnect (HT1, HT2, HT3) using FPGA technology for scale-up server designs.
- IP Library (IP blocks and modules) Portfolio of reusable IP blocks and modules for efficient on-chip networks, arbiters, caches, and RISC-V cores, plus verification methodologies for IP blocks and systems, offered as part of Numascale's technology stack.
Quantifiable outcome
- 33% TCO reduction with scale-up architecture compared to scale-out
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Numascale
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Numascale technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Numascale partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IntelcoreSince 2015, Numascale has been a licensee of Intel's Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) technology. This has enabled development of two generations of interconnect switches (UNC3 and UNC5 Node Controllers) for Intel Xeon Scalable processors.
- AMDcoreCollaborated since foundation in 2008 on NumaChip-1 and NumaChip-2 for HyperTransport (HT1, HT2, HT3) interconnect technology for AMD Opteron processors.
- Bull (Atos)coreSince 2015, Numascale has worked with Bull/Atos developing UNC3 and UNC5 Node Controllers for Intel's UPI 1.0 and UPI 2.0. Atos uses UNC5 in BullSequana S server. Contract signed for UPI 1.0 (2016) and UPI 2.0 (2019) NC development.
- EvidencoreEviden (formerly Bull/Atos) manufactures BullSequana SH servers powered by Numascale's UNC5 Node Controller. These servers achieved record-breaking performance on SAP BW benchmark.
- DellcoreDell incorporates Numascale's UNC5 into their scale-up server offerings, competing with HPE Compute Scale-up Server 3200 on performance benchmarks.
- HitachicoreHitachi uses Numascale's UNC5 Node Controller in their scale-up servers, achieving top benchmark performance on SAP Business Warehouse applications.
- Simula Research LaboratoryminorLong-time research partnership with Simula Research Laboratory for collaborative research programs.
- University of OslominorLong-term collaboration with University of Oslo in research programs, supported by Norwegian Research Council.
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)minorCollaboration with NTNU in research programs, supported by Norwegian Research Council.
- ETP4HPCminorIndustry-led think-tank promoting European HPC research and innovation. Numascale has been a member since 2012.
- Innovation NorwayminorNET4EXA project supported by Innovation Norway as part of Horizon Europe initiative.
- Norwegian Research CouncilminorResearch programs supported by the Norwegian Research Council.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Numascale competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Marvell Technology: Sells data center interconnect silicon (including coherent fabrics and switching) acquired through Inphi and Innovium; competes with Numascale's node controller category and is a likely supplier to OEMs evaluating scale-up alternatives.
- Intel: Licensor of the UPI technology that underpins Numascale's UNC5 and a broader incumbent in server CPUs and platform fabrics. Intel also sells its own coherent fabric components, so it is both a critical partner and an indirect competitor in scale-up server designs.
- Microchip Technology: Provides Switchtec PCIe switches and coherent fabric IP relevant to scale-up and composable infrastructure; competes with Numascale's node controller category in PCIe/CXL-based scale-up designs.
- Broadcom: Major supplier of switching ASICs and networking silicon for data centers; competes in the same coherent/scale-up fabric silicon space and could enter the coherent node controller category as scale-up demand grows.
Direct peers
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise: Direct competitor in scale-up enterprise servers via the HPE Compute Scale-up Server 3200 and Superdome line, using proprietary coherent fabric. Numascale-enabled Dell and Hitachi systems are explicitly benchmarked against HPE on SAP BW workloads.
Others
- Eviden (Atos): OEM partner that sells BullSequana SH servers powered by UNC5. Adjacent/partner rather than direct competitor, but Eviden's own roadmap decisions on scale-up server platforms directly shape Numascale's volume.
- Dolphin Interconnect Solutions: Numascale's parent/spin-off lineage; supplies PCIe and shared-memory interconnect hardware for HPC and enterprise. Same architectural roots (SCI, coherent shared memory) and partial product overlap in low-latency interconnect.
Emerging players
- Astera Labs: Fabless designer of connectivity/CXL/DPU silicon for cloud and AI infrastructure. Competes for the same OEM design-win slots in scale-up and memory-pooling architectures, particularly as CXL displaces proprietary coherent fabrics.
- XConn Technologies: Startup building CXL switch silicon for memory pooling and coherent fabrics; directly overlaps with Numascale's IP and consortium work in CXL as the industry transitions away from proprietary scale-up interconnects.
- Enfabrica: Developer of accelerated compute fabric silicon (EFSC) targeting AI and high-performance scale-up systems; competes with Numascale for next-generation coherent interconnect design wins in OEM AI servers.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Numascale social profiles
Digital presenceNumascale financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Numascale leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Numascale subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Numascale funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Numascale M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Numascale
What does Numascale do?
Numascale designs and sells Node Controller (NC) semiconductor chips and related IP that act as non-blocking cache-coherent switches, enabling multiple Intel Xeon Scalable (or AMD Opteron) processors to form a single shared-memory system. Its flagship UNC5 Node Controller connects 8 to 32 CPUs via Intel UPI 2.0 and is embedded by OEM partners (Eviden, Dell, Hitachi) into scale-up enterprise servers for datacenter, HPC, AI and in-memory database workloads.
Is Numascale a public or private company?
Numascale is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Numascale founded?
Numascale was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Numascale based?
Numascale is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Numascale make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing.
Who are Numascale's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Marvell Technology, Intel, Microchip Technology and Broadcom. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is listed as a direct peer. Others are Eviden (Atos) and Dolphin Interconnect Solutions. Emerging players are Astera Labs, XConn Technologies and Enfabrica.
Does Numascale have an API?
No public API is recorded for Numascale.
What industry is Numascale in?
Numascale's product category is Server Interconnect Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHABAB, Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes), with a secondary code of HDAHAJAH, Network/Infrastructure Processors (Switching/Routing/SmartNIC DPUs). Its NAICS code is 33411 and its SIC code is 3674.