The AI boom has led to a surge in demand for graphics processing units (GPUs). As many companies look to integrate AI technology into their systems, GPU infrastructure providers are helping businesses access the chips they need.
In the latest development, San Jose-based GPU cloud infrastructure startup GMI Cloud has raised a Series A led by Headline Asia with participation from strategic investors including Thai energy company Banpu and Taiwan's Wistron. raised $82 million. An electronics company based in Banpu will provide power to GMI Cloud and Wistron will co-develop products with the startup. Alex Yeh, founder and CEO of GMI Cloud, told TechCrunch that the company's strategic partnerships improve its ability to meet the growing demand for GPU resources worldwide. Ta. This investment round brings the total amount raised to $93 million, comprised of $15 million in equity and $67 million in debt.
Launched in 2022, the organization started as a data center focused on providing Bitcoin computing node services. In an exclusive interview with TechCrunch, Yeh said the company noticed a growing demand for GPU computing power from investors and customers and shifted the company's focus to AI cloud infrastructure in response.
Yeh said the two-year-old startup already serves dozens of customers, including those in the healthcare, research and communications industries. The company plans to use the new funding to open a new data center in Colorado. This facility is essential to expand capacity in North America and complement existing data centers in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. The company also aims to increase the number of employees to 60 to 70 by the end of the year. The startup has 35 staff in Asia and 18 in the US.
A recent report from McKinsey estimates that artificial intelligence could contribute about $13 trillion to the economy by 2030, with the industrial sector accounting for about $1 trillion. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global AI market size is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030.
GMI Cloud is not the only GPU cloud provider. It competes with Big Tech companies like Coreweave, Nebius, and Google Cloud's Vertex AI. Yeh told TechCrunch that GMI Cloud stands out from its competitors by offering unique features such as customized private cloud services and built-in support for Nvidia NIM, which simplifies integration with Nvidia hardware and software. He said that he is trying to differentiate himself. He also noted that the company has a group of top AI engineers and high performance computing (HPC) experts with experience at GoogleX, Alibaba Cloud, and Supermicro.
“[Our] The team has over 20 years of experience in AI and HPC,” said Yeh, who boasts 33 AI patents and extensive experience building large-scale distributed systems. “GMI also offers specialized AI consulting services that guide companies in training, fine-tuning, and scaling models, something few competitors offer.”
GMI offers cost-effective solutions that deliver optimized performance and resource management compared to its competitors, supporting businesses through end-to-end solutions ranging from GPU hardware to AI applications. Yeh emphasized.
“[On top of that]We have a significant supply chain advantage by sourcing directly from manufacturers, which allows us to maintain a cost-effective and highly secure supply chain. ” continued Yeh. “Uniquely, GMI is also the only Nvidia certified cloud service provider under the NCP/NPN program in Taiwan, further strengthening our competitiveness in providing premium cloud services.”