Insider Brief

• AI hardware startup GEMESYS has raised €8.6 million in pre-seed funding, led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and Atlantic Labs, with contributions from NRW.BANK, Sony Innovation Fund, Plug and Play Tech Center, and German government grants, to accelerate R&D and expand its team.
• GEMESYS is pioneering on-device AI training with energy-efficient chips, addressing the “von Neumann bottleneck” and promoting data privacy, offline processing, and IoT innovation, positioning Europe as a leader in AI hardware innovation.
• The startup’s novel chip architecture offers breakthrough capabilities in edge intelligence, enabling applications such as data drift management and model personalization, and aims to transform industries with efficient and privacy-focused AI solutions.

PRESS RELEASE — AI hardware startup GEMESYS has successfully raised €8.6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund together with Atlantic Labs. Participation came from NRW.BANK, Sony Innovation Fund, and Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play Tech Center, as well as grant funding from the German government, complemented the round.

With this new funding, GEMESYS will accelerate research and development and expand its team to further advance its novel chip architecture. The company is now actively hiring for roles, including Senior C++ Developer and Senior Simulation Engineer, to build on its promising technological foundation.

Europe’s Solution to Technical Independence

As AI hardware innovations are predominantly led by Asia and the US, GEMESYS emerges as Europe’s answer to the demand for technological independence and innovation. With a mission to establish a European counterweight in the global AI landscape, GEMESYS presents an innovative solution proudly developed in Germany. Backed by the German government and through the EXIST “Transfer of Research” funding program, GEMESYS is pioneering new AI innovation that has the potential to revolutionize the industry.

This advancement signals a rising star in AI hardware and highlights Europe’s capability to lead in tech. It offers an alternative rooted in data privacy, efficiency, and sustainable development. GEMESYS’s commitment to on-device AI training represents a giant leap forward for technological sovereignty, putting Germany and Europe firmly on the map as formidable forces in AI.

Dr. Dennis Michaelis, CEO of GEMESYS, commented, “At GEMESYS, our mission is to bring learning capabilities to every device through technology developed in Europe. Building on this foundation, we’re pioneering new applications that empower edge devices like never before — positioning Europe as a leader in distributed intelligence and setting a new standard for industry innovation.”

GEMESYS has already built a working hardware demonstrator and anticipates upcoming silicon testing, which will showcase the full potential of its revolutionary AI chip. Ion Hauer of APEX Ventures expressed his support, saying, “We’re excited to see GEMESYS redefine what’s possible in Edge AI. Its technology can transform countless industries and push the boundaries of on-device inference and training.”

Redefining AI Technology

GEMESYS is advancing the field of AI by making on-device training possible and efficient. This groundbreaking chip is designed to operate with unparalleled data and energy efficiency, allowing it to train neural networks with a fraction of the data required by conventional architectures. This breakthrough opens up a new range of mobile device and sensor applications, enabling them to process and learn directly from data at its source.

“GEMESYS is reinventing AI hardware with a truly innovative approach to edge intelligence. Its technology isn’t just an incremental improvement — it’s a game-changer,” says Quentin Calleja from Atlantic Labs.

“GEMESYS’s innovative architecture addresses the long-standing ‘von Neumann bottleneck’ while maintaining solid roots in CMOS technology essential for the supply chain. We’re thrilled to support the GEMESYS team as they pioneer a new era of energy-efficient computing,” said Antonio Avitabile, Managing Director — EMEA at Sony Ventures.

By supporting self-learning and distributed capabilities such as outlier detection, data drift management, and model personalization, GEMESYS is demonstrating its transformative impact across diverse industries. This approach brings substantial advantages, including enhanced data privacy, offline processing, and reduced bandwidth usage — critical factors for IoT providers.

Furthermore, GEMESYS introduces an innovative training methodology that compresses neural networks, boosting efficiency for inferencing tasks. With its advanced capabilities, GEMESYS is setting a new standard for AI training on edge devices, positioning itself as a must-have for IoT solutions globally.

Founded by Dr. Dennis Michaelis, Dr. Enver Solan, Moritz Schmidt, and Daniel Krüger, GEMESYS is based in Bochum, Germany. Its growing team of 19 includes five female members and five employees from diverse international backgrounds. GEMESYS is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture as it pursues its mission to revolutionize AI on edge devices.

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Featured image: Credit: GEMESYS