Graphcore
About Graphcore
Graphcore is a Semiconductors startup based in Bristol, United Kingdom that has raised $1.1B in venture capital across 7 funding rounds since 2016. The company reached Growth stage in November 2016 with a $32M round led by Bosch. Graphcore's investor base includes 15 institutional funds, with Atomico leading the most recent equity round.
Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company that designs the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a massively parallel processor purpose-built for machine learning workloads. Founded in 2016 by Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles — serial entrepreneurs who previously built semiconductor companies acquired by Broadcom and Nvidia — Graphcore developed a computing architecture that holds entire machine learning models in on-chip memory, enabling faster iteration cycles and lower inference latency than traditional GPU-based approaches. The company raised over $680 million in venture funding from Atomico, Sequoia Capital, Baillie Gifford, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and SoftBank before being acquired by SoftBank Group in July 2024. Operating as a wholly owned SoftBank subsidiary, Graphcore continues developing AI chip technology for cloud providers, research institutions, and enterprises building foundation models, robotics, and large-scale inference systems. In May 2026, SoftBank injected $457 million to accelerate Graphcore's AGI-focused hardware roadmap.
Graphcore Funding Rounds Timeline
7 rounds · $1.1B raised · since 2016
| Round | Date | Amount | Valuation | Lead investor | Co-investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | November 2016 | $32M | — | Bosch | Dell Technologies Capital, Samsung, Amadeus Capital, C4 Ventures, Draper Esprit, Foundation Capital, Pitango |
| Series B | June 2017 | $30M | — | Atomico | — |
| Series C | November 2017 | $50M | — | Sequoia Capital | — |
| Series D | December 2018 | $200M | $1.7B | BMW i Ventures | Microsoft, Merian Chrysalis, Sofina |
| Series D | February 2020 | $150M | $1.9B | Baillie Gifford | Mayfair Equity Partners, M&G Investments, Merian Chrysalis |
| Series E | December 2020 | $222M | $2.8B | Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan | Fidelity International, Schroders, Baillie Gifford, Draper Esprit |
| Growth | May 2026 | $457M | — | SoftBank | — |
Investors in Graphcore
15 institutional investors across 7 rounds
Lead investors
Co-investors
Recent news about Graphcore
Questions about Graphcore
How much has Graphcore raised?
Graphcore has raised $1.1B across 7 funding rounds since 2016.
Who are the investors of Graphcore?
Graphcore's investors include Atomico, Sequoia Capital, Baillie Gifford, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, SoftBank, Bosch, C4 Ventures, Foundation Capital, Mayfair Equity Partners, Fidelity International, Dell Technologies Capital, Samsung, Draper Esprit, Microsoft, Schroders.
When was Graphcore's last funding round?
Graphcore's most recent round was a $32M Series A in November 2016, led by Bosch.
What is Graphcore's valuation?
Graphcore reached a $2.8B valuation (unicorn status) with its Series A round in November 2016.
Where is Graphcore headquartered?
Graphcore is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, and was founded in 2016 by Nigel Toon, Simon Knowles.