The next frontier of AI lies at the edge — where data is generated. By moving AI toward the edge, we unlock real-time, efficient, and privacy-focused processing, opening the door to a wave of new opportunities. One of our most recent investments, Applied Brain Research (ABR), is leading this revolution by bringing “cloud-level” AI capabilities to edge devices.

Why is this important? Billions of power-constrained devices require substantial AI processing. Many of these devices operate offline (e.g., drones, medical devices, and industrial equipment), have access only to unreliable, slow, or high-latency networks (e.g., wearables and smart glasses), or must process data streams in real time (e.g., autonomous vehicles). Due to insufficient on-device capability, the only solution today is to send data to the cloud — a suboptimal or outright infeasible approach.

How does ABR solve this? ABR’s groundbreaking technology addresses these challenges by delivering “cloud-sized” high-performance AI on compact, ultra-low-power devices. This shift is transforming industries such as consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive, and a range of industrial applications, where latency, reliability, energy efficiency, and localized intelligence are essential.

What is ABR’s secret sauce? ABR’s unique approach is rooted in computational neuroscience. Co-founded by Dr. Chris Eliasmith, CTO and Head of the University of Waterloo’s Computational Neuroscience Research Group, ABR leverages a brain-inspired invention called the Legendre Memory Unit (LMU), which was invented by Dr. Eliasmith and his team of researchers. LMUs are provably optimal for compressing time-series data—like voice, video, sensor data, and bio-signals—enabling significant reductions in memory usage. Running the

LMU on ABR’s unique processor architecture has created a breakthrough that “kills three birds with one stone” by:

1. Increasing performance,

2. Reducing power consumption by up to 200x, and

3. Cutting costs by 10x.

This is further turbocharged by ABR’s AI toolchain, which enables customers to deploy solutions in weeks instead of months. Time is money, and ABR’s technology allows for advanced on-device functions—like natural language processing—without relying on the cloud. This unlocks entirely new use cases and possibilities.

At the helm of ABR is Kevin Conley, the CEO and a former CTO of SanDisk, alongside Dr. Chris Eliasmith. Together, they bring exceptionally strong leadership across both hardware and software domains—a rare but powerful combination that gives ABR a significant competitive advantage.

ABR’s vision aligns perfectly with our investment thesis and our belief that edge computing and software-hardware convergence represent the next frontier of opportunity in computing. We’re excited to see ABR power billions of devices in the years to come.

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