POLYN Technology is a fabless semiconductor company that developed a technology platform called Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processing (NASP). To learn more, Pulse 2.0 interviewed POLYN Technology’s founder and CEO Aleksandr Timofeev.
Aleksandr Timofeev’s Background
Timofeev studied solid-state physics and has since become a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the high-tech industry.
“Before founding POLYN, I was involved as a co-founder in a dozen deep tech startups. The last one, iGlass, created a unique electrochromic smart glass technology and was acquired by one of the industry leaders. As far as others’ background, our top management and Board of Directors include experts from Tower Semiconductor, Marvell, Synopsys, Cadence, and KPMG, to name a few,” said Timofeev.
Formation Of POLYN
How did the idea for POLYN come together? “Our Chief Scientist, Dmitry Godovsky, conceived the idea during his post-doctorate days at a university in Germany. When we met five years ago, I recognized the immense potential of analog technology for sensor data pre-processing,” Timofeev reflected.
Challenges Faced
What challenges have you faced in building the company? “We started the company during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to be adaptable and creative to find and hire talent. We built a reliable team of professionals and secured funding – all remotely. We have a strong team of diverse specialists, from math to semiconductors and analog devices to business development and technology marketing, operating in synergy across the globe from the UK, Israel, France, and the USA,” Timofeev pointed out. “Building both the intellectual and physical platforms for our solution has taken time, but simultaneously we had to have a commercial product at each step to keep going. We have also realized that we have to be industry evangelists, constantly explaining the benefits of analog computing – similar to the human brain – in the world of digital processing.”
Core Products
What are POLYN’s core products and features? “POLYN Technology is a fabless semiconductor company that has developed a unique technology platform called Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processing (NASP). This includes a unique compiler for automated conversion of trained digital neural networks into a true parallel analog neuromorphic structure on CMOS chips,” Timofeev explained. “We offer NASP-based, application-specific, ultra-low-power Neuromorphic Front End analog chips, ideal for raw sensor data pre-processing. The product portfolio currently includes VibroSense for vibration monitoring of machine health, NeuroVoice for mass-market hearables, and NeuroSense for wearables and Health 4.0. The technology enables a wide range of thin edge AI applications where there would otherwise be microwatt power consumption, accuracy, size, and cloud connectivity constraints.”
Evolution Of POLYN’s Technology
How has POLYN’s technology evolved since launching? “We started by offering IP blocks for various sensors but quickly realized that we needed to make our own chip to prove the technology,” Timofeev replied “So we developed a fully functional NASP Compiler platform that converts almost any neural network into the final chip design flow capable for adaptation for PDKs of 40-90 nm processes. We tested all that with GlobalFoundries on the 55nm process and successfully delivered the demo chip. We developed the chip simulation methodology and implemented three different product models that now anyone can try with their own dataset. And by the end of 2023 the first production chips will see the light of day.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of POLYN’s most significant milestones? “The key milestone is the first product chip tape-out and evaluation. The next one will be the challenging task of achieving better scalability,” Timofeev noted.
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? “We cannot share the names but can say that we have two contracts and are running POCs for the voice processing model and vibration monitoring model for the TrueWireless (TWS) and Predictive Maintenance products correspondingly,” Timofeev verified.
Funding/Revenue
In terms of funding and revenue, the company closed pre-seed and seed funding rounds totaling $11 million and now opened a classic round A of $12 million.
“Our goal is $10 million revenue at the end of 2025,” Timofeev affirmed.
Total Addressable Market
What is the total addressable market (TAM) size that POLYN is pursuing?
Timofeev considered the following markets:
— Wearables (including smartwatches, tags, smart clothes, patches, etc) together with the growing AR/VR market, including wearable and hearable elements in addition to image processing
— Hearables (all TWS (true wireless stereo), OTC Hearing Assistance, and emerging XR markets),
— Industry 4.0 (specifically vibration monitoring of machines, smart tiers, leakage detection, etc.).
— Each of these markets is targeted to reach a billion units in 2028.
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates POLYN from its competition? “The NASP Neuromorphic Front End (NFE) chip is the first always-on true analog design to be used next to sensors, adding intelligence directly at the sensor without sending the data to the cloud. NASP is a breakthrough neuromorphic analog technology implemented on standard semiconductor components with patented realization in hardware. The analog design doesn’t require expensive transistor processes like 5nm to be efficient. The NFE true analog architecture allows the neural network cores to preprocess sensor data at ultra-low power consumption at microwatt level with inherent latency of a few microseconds due to the natural parallelism of the structure’s physics,” Timofeev replied. “For potential customers, we offer a very simple development model. We start with the product requirements and let the customer test the product via a digital twin. It takes just a few days for the NASP Compiler to synthesize the chip and prepare the production files for a foundry. Unlike other solutions on the market today, NASP has no architectural restrictions that impose additional transformation on a neural network. The NASP automation tools convert an application-specific trained neural network into an analog neuromorphic structure, avoiding disparities between the requirements and the resulting neural network on the chip. The neural network size and structure always 100% fits the customers’ task, This is POLYN’s fundamental advantage.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of POLYN’s future company goals? “We are eager to release the first product chip, as a customer is waiting for it,” Timofeev concluded. “We have a clear roadmap for both technology and products. In addition, we plan some technology changes for cost reduction, even though our current costs are aligned to existing digital solutions implemented in the 5nm process,” Timofeev concluded. “Also, we are working on a new product for the AR/VR market, but I can’t say more than that right now.”
