AI semiconductor company Rebellion has acquired SqueezeBits, a firm specializing in AI inference optimization. This move aims to enhance its full-stack AI infrastructure by integrating software optimization and inference serving capabilities alongside its NPU hardware.
According to industry sources on June 30, Rebellion plans to internalize AI model optimization and inference serving technology through this acquisition. Inference serving refers to the operational process where AI models receive requests in real service environments and return results, impacting service speed, cost, and reliability.
The acquisition comes as the commercialization of AI services expands, making it increasingly important not just to have high hardware performance but also to operate models efficiently. Rebellion intends to strengthen its competitive edge in AI infrastructure at the system level, encompassing servers, rack configurations, software, and serving.
SqueezeBits is a deep-tech startup founded by researchers in AI semiconductors, deep learning, and model lightweighting. The company possesses optimization technology that enhances AI model speed and reduces operational costs across various hardware environments. It has also collaborated with global AI hardware companies such as Intel and NVIDIA.
Since 2024, the two companies have been jointly developing model lightweighting technology and dedicated software based on Rebellion's NPU. They have also conducted events and workshops related to the open-source serving framework 'vLLM,' which enhances the inference speed and throughput of large language models.
In the AI semiconductor industry, relying solely on chip performance has become insufficient for securing customers, leading to a competitive focus on providing full-stack capabilities that include hardware, compilers, model optimization, and inference serving.
Through this acquisition, Rebellion aims to enhance the software performance of its AI semiconductors and provide an environment where customers can build AI services more quickly and efficiently. The goal is to reduce the optimization burden that arises during the service deployment phase.
This initiative is part of Rebellion's ecosystem expansion strategy following its selection as the first direct investment company of the National Growth Fund. After merging with Safion Korea in 2024, creating a precedent for consolidation among domestic AI semiconductor firms, the acquisition of SqueezeBits further broadens its reach into software and infrastructure.
Park Seong-hyun, CEO of Rebellion, stated, "I believe that when technical capabilities and talented individuals come together beyond the boundaries of individual companies, it creates new possibilities for Korea's AI infrastructure ecosystem. Together with SqueezeBits, we will transform into a company that encompasses large-scale AI infrastructure at the hardware, software, and system levels."
Kim Hyung-jun, CEO of SqueezeBits, remarked, "SqueezeBits' AI inference optimization technology will further expand the Rebellion NPU ecosystem, enabling customers to operate AI services more easily and economically on the Rebellion NPU platform."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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