Axera

Axera Semiconductor Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company specializing in the development of high-performance, low-power artificial intelligence (AI) System-on-Chips (SoCs) for computer vision applications. Founded in May 2019 by Dr. Xiaoxin Qiu, a veteran of the chip industry with previous roles at UNISOC, Broadcom, and AT&T Labs, Axera is headquartered in Beijing, China. The company focuses on providing AI inference chips for on-device computing, edge AI inference, and smart vehicles.

Axera has developed several core technologies in-house, including the AXNeutron Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a proprietary mixed-precision NPU designed for efficient AI inference, and the AXProton AI-Image Signal Processor (AI-ISP), which enhances image quality in real-time, even in challenging conditions. These technologies enable the company to offer a unified and scalable technology stack. The company's product portfolio includes the AX630A and AX620A edge AI vision chips and the M57 and M97 series for the automotive sector. These chips are designed to support a variety of AI visual tasks like object detection and facial recognition. Axera provides a compiler and a robust SDK to help partners transition from development to mass production.

The company serves clients across multiple sectors, including smart cities, smart driving, smart retail, smart homes, and industrial manufacturing. For the automotive industry, Axera offers solutions for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), collaborating with companies like STRADVISION and Aptiv. Their SoCs are being used in vehicles from domestic, joint-venture, and emerging EV brands. By the end of 2025, Axera had shipped over 200 million units of its chips.

Axera went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on February 10, 2026, becoming the first edge AI chip company to do so in the city. The IPO raised approximately HK$2.9 billion (US$379 million). Prior to its IPO, Axera secured significant funding through several rounds, with investors including Qiming Venture Partners, GGV Capital, Meituan, and Tencent. As of April 2025, the company had raised a total of $262 million over four funding rounds.

Keywords: AI inference SoC, edge computing chips, computer vision chips, AI vision processor, neural processing unit, NPU, image signal processor, ISP, smart driving, ADAS, automotive chips, smart cities, AI-ISP, system-on-a-chip, semiconductor, edge AI, visual processing, low-power AI chips, AXNeutron, AXProton, M57 SoC, on-device computing, AI for All