When it comes to watches, my go-to is a Fitbit. It may not be the most common choice, but I value practicality, especially when not having to recharge daily is a necessity to me. My Fitbit lasts about 4 to 5 days—decent, but still not perfect.

Now, imagine if we could extend that battery life to a month or even a year. The freedom and convenience would be incredible. Considering the immense computing demands of modern smartwatches, this might sound far-fetched. But that’s where our portfolio company, Blumind, comes into play.

Blumind’s ultra-low power, always-on, real-time, offline AI chip holds the potential to redefine how we think about battery life and device efficiency. This advancement enables edge computing with extended battery life, potentially lasting years – not a typo – instead of days. Products powered by Blumind can transform user behaviours and empower businesses and individuals to unlock new and impactful value (see our thesis).

Blumind’s secret lies in its brain-inspired, all-analog chip design. The human brain is renowned for its energy-efficient computing abilities. Unlike most modern chips that rely on digital systems and require continuous digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversions (which drain power), Blumind’s approach emulates the brain’s seamless analog processing. This unique architecture makes it perfect for power-sensitive AI applications, resulting in chips that could be up to 1000 times more energy-efficient than conventional chips, making them ideal for edge computing.

Blumind’s breakthrough technology has practical and wide-ranging applications. Here are just a few use cases:

• Always-on Keyword Detection: Integrates into various devices for continuous voice activation without excessive power usage.

• Rapid Image Recognition: Supports always-on visual wake word detection for applications such as access control, enhancing human-device interaction with real-time responses.

• Time-Series Data Processing: Processes data streams with exceptional speed for real-time analysis in areas like predictive maintenance, health monitoring, and weather forecasting.

These capabilities unlock new possibilities across multiple industries, including wearables, smart home technology, security, agriculture, medical, smart mobility, and even military and aerospace.

A few weeks ago, I visited Blumind’s team at their ventureLAB office and got an up-close look at their BM110 chip, now in its third tapeout. Blumind exemplifies the future of semiconductor startups through its fabless model, which significantly lowers the initial infrastructure costs associated with traditional semiconductor companies. With resources like ventureLAB supporting them, Blumind has managed to innovate with remarkable efficiency and sustainability. (I’ll share more about the fabless model in an upcoming post.)

I’m thrilled to see where Blumind’s journey leads and how its groundbreaking technology will transform daily life and reshape multiple industries. When devices can go years without needing a recharge instead of mere hours, that’s nothing short of game-changing.

Image: Close-up view of BM110. It is a piece of art!

Image: Qualification in action. Note that BM110 (lower-left corner) is tiny and space-efficient.

Image: The Blumind team is working hard at their ventureLAB office. More on this in a separate blog post here.

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