Aperture Regions › United States › AI Hardware & Chips
US AI Hardware & Chips startup funding
US AI Hardware & Chips startups raised $12.3B across 76 funding rounds at 62 companies in the 12 months to Nov 14, 2026, against $4.1B across 47 rounds in the 12 months before (+196% in capital, +62% in rounds).
Companies headquartered in the United States, all funding stages, by announcement date. Data as of Nov 15, 2026; the last 12 months run Nov 15, 2025 – Nov 14, 2026. Capital counts disclosed amounts only (75 of 76 rounds in the last 12 months).
How much did US AI Hardware & Chips startups raise in the last 12 months?
| Last 12 months | 12 months before | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital raised (disclosed) | $12.3B | $4.1B | +196% |
| Rounds | 76 | 47 | +62% |
| Companies funded | 62 | 43 | +44% |
How much have US AI Hardware & Chips startups raised in 2026?
In 2026 through Nov 14, 2026, US AI Hardware & Chips startups raised $11.4B across 67 rounds, against $3.8B across 41 rounds in the same period of 2025.
Which US AI Hardware & Chips startups raised the most?
Etched raised the most in the last 12 months, 12% of the capital; the three largest companies together took 31%.
| Company | City | Capital raised | Rounds | Latest round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etched | Cupertino | $1.5B | 3 | Stage not stated · Aug 2026 |
| SambaNova | San Jose | $1.4B | 2 | Series F+ · Jul 2026 |
| Cerebras Systems | Sunnyvale | $1B | 1 | Series F+ · Feb 2026 |
| Lumilens | San Jose | $700M | 1 | Stage not stated · Aug 2026 |
| Ayar Labs | San Jose | $650M | 2 | Stage not stated · Sep 2026 |
| Positron | Reno | $605M | 2 | Series C · Sep 2026 |
| Nexthop AI | Santa Clara | $500M | 1 | Series B · Mar 2026 |
| MatX | Mountain View | $500M | 1 | Series B · Feb 2026 |
| Unconventional AI | San Francisco | $475M | 1 | Seed · Dec 2025 |
| SiFive | Santa Clara | $400M | 1 | Series F+ · Apr 2026 |
Which AI Hardware & Chips sub-sectors are growing in the US?
Interconnect & memory added the most companies: 17 raised in the 12 months before and 26 in the last 12 months.
| Sub-sector | Companies funded (year before → last 12 months) | Rounds | Capital raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interconnect & memory | 17 → 26 | 31 | $4.4B |
| Data-center accelerators | 6 → 10 | 14 | $6.1B |
| AI for chip design (EDA) | 2 → 8 | 10 | $634M |
| AI servers & systems | 2 → 7 | 9 | $481M |
| Edge & on-device chips | 5 → 4 | 5 | $453M |
| Quantum & novel computing | 5 → 2 | 2 | $39M |
| Chip manufacturing & materials | 3 → 1 | 1 | $35M |
4 companies are not yet tagged with a sub-sector (Other / unclear).
How large is a typical US AI Hardware & Chips round?
In the last 12 months, the median disclosed Seed round was $24M, Series A round was $60M, Series B round was $118M.
| Stage | Rounds | With a disclosed amount | Median disclosed round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed | 1 | 1 | — |
| Seed | 12 | 12 | $24M |
| Series A | 26 | 25 | $60M |
| Series B | 10 | 10 | $118M |
| Series C | 11 | 11 | $145M |
| Series E | 2 | 2 | — |
| Series F+ | 3 | 3 | — |
| Stage not stated | 11 | 11 | $100M |
Medians are shown where at least 10 amounts are disclosed.
US AI Hardware & Chips funding by quarter
| Quarter | Rounds | Capital raised |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q1 | 11 | $688M |
| 2025 Q2 | 9 | $414M |
| 2025 Q3 | 16 | $2.3B |
| 2025 Q4 | 14 | $1.3B |
| 2026 Q1 | 25 | $4.9B |
| 2026 Q2 | 13 | $1.5B |
| 2026 Q3 | 24 | $4.7B |
| 2026 Q4 (to date) | 5 | $255M |
Other US sectors: AI Models & Research · AI Infrastructure · Robotics & Physical AI · Industry AI · Defense & Public Safety AI · Healthcare & Life Sciences · Fintech AI · Enterprise & Vertical AI · AI Agents · AI Developer Tools · Cybersecurity AI · Consumer & Media AI.
Definitions are in the methodology. Report a missing or misreported deal from the link in the footer.