Semibrain
Semibrain is a South Korea-based fabless semiconductor IP company (wholly-owned subsidiary of ANAFLASH) that develops standard logic-compatible embedded non-volatile memory and compute-in-memory IP for SoC designers and AI semiconductor companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSeongnam, South Korea
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Semibrain does
Semibrain Inc., founded in 2020 and headquartered in South Korea, is a fabless semiconductor IP company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ANAFLASH. Its core technology is a standard logic-compatible embedded Non-Volatile Memory (eNVM) IP platform combined with a Processing-in-Memory (PIM) architecture, enabling analog computation directly within memory arrays. The company targets fabless SoC designers and AI semiconductor companies that need on-chip storage with in-memory compute to reduce data movement and power consumption. Its product portfolio spans embedded flash memory IP, Compute-in-Memory macros, a 28nm AI microcontroller based on neuromorphic processing, a RISC-V machine learning accelerator, and neuromorphic computing IP, with a granted US patent (11,862,227) protecting the analog compute-in-memory device. Reported performance targets include 333 TOPS/W efficiency for the CiM macro.
Semibrain monetizes through intellectual property licensing and royalties to fabless and integrated device manufacturer customers, supplemented by government R&D contracts. A Samsung Foundry partnership (2022) aligns the IP with Samsung's process design kits, and a KAIST research partnership (November 2024) supports advanced neuromorphic computing development. To date, the company has secured approximately 6 billion KRW in cumulative non-dilutive funding, including 1 billion KRW from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' BIG3 program (2020-2022) and 5 billion KRW from the Ministry of Science and ICT for Processing-in-Memory development (2021-2024). The company does not disclose commercial revenue, paying customer counts, or headcount figures, and remains at an early commercialization stage as of the IEEE ASSCC 2025 presentation of its 28nm AI microcontroller.
Semibrain firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Semibrain
- Legal name
- SEMIBRAIN Inc.
- Website
- https://semibraintech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Semibrain is a South Korea-based fabless semiconductor IP company (wholly-owned subsidiary of ANAFLASH) that develops standard logic-compatible embedded non-volatile memory and compute-in-memory IP for SoC designers and AI semiconductor companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Semibrain industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Semiconductor IP
- NAICS
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)
- SIC
- Computer Storage Devices (3572)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Persistent/Non-Volatile Memory (MRAM/ReRAM/PCM/FeRAM) (HDAHAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Storage & Interface Controllers (SSD/NVMe/UFS/USB/PCIe) (HDAHABAG)
Keywords
Where Semibrain is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seongnam
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Semibrain business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Embedded NVM IP Licensing: Licensing of standard logic compatible embedded flash memory IP to semiconductor companies for integration into their SoC products. The company commercializes its university-developed technologies into deployed solutions through IP licensing arrangements.
- Research and Development Contracts: Government-funded research contracts from Korean Ministry of Science and ICT for Processing-in-Memory (PiM) development. Includes funding from 2021-2024 for charge-storage based PiM research.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Semibrain product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Semibrain develops and licenses standard logic compatible embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) intellectual property (IP) for System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, featuring zero-standby power capability and processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture. The company commercializes university-developed embedded flash memory technologies, providing patented eNVM IP, Compute-in-Memory (CiM) macros, AI microcontrollers, and RISC-V based machine learning accelerators to semiconductor and AI chip companies under licensing arrangements.
Product overview
SEMIBRAIN offers a portfolio of standard logic compatible embedded nonvolatile memory (eNVM) IP solutions, including their core embedded flash memory IP, Compute-in-Memory (CiM) macros for AI acceleration, and AI microcontrollers. The products are built on standard logic compatible flash technology that enables zero-standby power operation, reducing energy consumption compared to traditional SRAM solutions. The portfolio includes a 28nm AI microcontroller featuring tightly coupled weight memory, and RISC-V based machine learning accelerators developed internally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Standard Logic Compatible Embedded Flash Memory IP Standard logic based embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) intellectual property licensed to semiconductor and SoC companies, enabling cost-effective integration of NVM into SoC designs with zero-standby power. Features 4 Mb 4-bits/cell embedded flash technology in 28nm, eliminating the need for specialized manufacturing processes.
- Compute-in-Memory (CiM) Macro Processing-in-memory macro IP for energy efficient AI acceleration, featuring logic-compatible multi-level embedded flash technology to minimize data movement and optimize power efficiency for AI compute workloads. Demonstrated silicon performance of 333 TOPS/W and 639.38 GOPS/W.
- 28nm AI Microcontroller AI microcontroller IP built on a 28nm process node featuring tightly coupled zero-standby power weight memory using standard logic compatible 4 Mb 4-bits/cell embedded flash technology, designed for low-power AI inference workloads.
- RISC-V Based Machine Learning Accelerator In-house machine learning accelerator semiconductor chip based on RISC-V architecture, developed with custom microarchitecture and RTL design for ML compute workloads.
Quantifiable outcome
- Zero standby power consumption in SoC designs
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Semibrain
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Semibrain technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Semibrain partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- KAISTcoreJoint research partnership with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. KAIST led research paper presenting silicon results of compute-in-memory macro for energy efficient AI acceleration, demonstrating SEMIBRAIN's embedded flash technology integrated into AI acceleration hardware.
- Samsung FoundrycoreSamsung Foundry partnered with SEMIBRAIN to sponsor MPW (Multi-Project Wafer) silicon manufacturing project for the company's standard logic based embedded flash memory IP. This collaboration enables SEMIBRAIN to access Samsung's advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes.
- ANAFLASHcoreANAFLASH is the parent company of SEMIBRAIN, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary. SEMIBRAIN leverages ANAFLASH's technology portfolio and corporate infrastructure while maintaining focus on standard logic based embedded NVM innovation.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Semibrain competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Semibrain social profiles
Digital presenceSemibrain financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Semibrain leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Semibrain funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Semibrain 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 Semibrain
What does Semibrain do?
Semibrain develops and licenses standard logic compatible embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) intellectual property (IP) for System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, featuring zero-standby power capability and processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture. The company commercializes university-developed embedded flash memory technologies, providing patented eNVM IP, Compute-in-Memory (CiM) macros, AI microcontrollers, and RISC-V based machine learning accelerators to semiconductor and AI chip companies under licensing arrangements.
Is Semibrain a public or private company?
Semibrain is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Semibrain founded?
Semibrain was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Semibrain based?
Semibrain is headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Semibrain make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Embedded NVM IP Licensing is the primary driver. The others are research and Development Contracts.
Does Semibrain have an API?
No public API is recorded for Semibrain.
What industry is Semibrain in?
Semibrain's product category is Semiconductor IP. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHAKAF, Persistent/Non-Volatile Memory (MRAM/ReRAM/PCM/FeRAM), with a secondary code of HDAHABAG, Storage & Interface Controllers (SSD/NVMe/UFS/USB/PCIe). Its NAICS code is 3344 and its SIC code is 3572.