Jim Keller enjoys well-deserved authority in the computer industry, as he has at various times had a hand in the design of many commercially successful processors from Intel, AMD, Apple and even Tesla. The Japanese LSTC intends to send about 200 engineers who need to gain new knowledge in the development of processors and computing accelerators for internships in the United States.
Image source: Tenstorrent
The emphasis is, as EE Times notes, on studying the RISC-V architecture when it comes to central processing units. Computing accelerators, which is quite understandable, will be designed to work with artificial intelligence systems. Jim Keller currently heads the startup Tenstorrent, so this company will formally collaborate with the Advanced Semiconductor Technology Center of Japan (LSTC) as part of an internship and advanced training program for engineers.
According to the cooperation scheme envisaged by the parties, Japanese specialists will take part in the development of Tenstorrent solutions, but the Japanese side will pay for their work. The work of mentors from Tenstorrent will be paid separately, and also from the Japanese budget. The internship program is designed for a year or two; after completing the training, Japanese engineers will be able to return to the companies in which they previously worked. The first group of Japanese specialists will come to the United States to begin their internship in April 2025.
Tenstorrent, as noted by EE Times, will have the opportunity to form ties with Japanese companies such as Toyota, Sony, DoCoMo, Panasonic and others. It is assumed that these companies may in the future become interested in Tenstorrent’s developments and license them for their use. The idea of implementing such a program arose about a year and a half ago during a meeting between Jim Keller and the now former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. The minimum internship period for Japanese engineers will be one year, and if necessary, it can be extended for the same amount. Japanese specialists will have time to work in various Tenstorrent divisions in the United States, as well as a new development center in Tokyo. The work will be related to the creation of central processors with RISC-V architecture and computational accelerators, as well as software for artificial intelligence systems.
The Japanese Tenstorrent development center is being created to deepen ties with Japanese companies in the field of automotive electronics, data centers and server infrastructure. LSTC already owns a Tenstorrent license, which gives the right to create computational accelerators with a chiplet layout. It is planned to produce such chiplets at the Rapidus plant in Japan, which will be commissioned by 2027.