Core Insights - FuriosaAI, a South Korean startup focused on AI chip design, is seeking to raise between $300 million and $500 million in a Series D funding round to prepare for an IPO [1] - The company aims to enhance its competitiveness against Nvidia by supporting the mass production of its second-generation RNGD chip and developing a third-generation chip [2] Funding and Financials - The Series D funding round is co-advised by Morgan Stanley and Mirae Asset Securities [1] - In July 2025, FuriosaAI raised $125 million in a Series C round, bringing its total funding to $246 million at that time [3] - The previous funding round aimed to meet the growing demand for its flagship AI chip and accelerate its development roadmap [4] Product Development - FuriosaAI's RNGD chip is expected to begin mass production with shipments from TSMC later this month [2] - The RNGD chip reportedly offers 2.25 times the inference performance-per-watt compared to traditional GPUs [3][5] - The chip's performance is attributed to its Tensor Contraction Processor (TCP) architecture, which is designed for efficient deep learning computations [6] Strategic Moves - The company is considering a public listing as early as 2027 [2] - In March 2025, FuriosaAI declined an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta due to disagreements over post-acquisition strategy rather than price [7]