Tendrils Compute raises $30M to “redo the CPU”

A UK startup developing a radically different type of computer chip has raised $30m in a reported hotly contested funding round.

Cambridge-based Tendrils Compute is looking to challenge the dominance of conventional CPU and GPU architecture. Tendrils is one of several UK chip companies, along with Olix and Fractile, which investors are backing.

Tendrils believes that general-purpose chips based on its computing model, called interaction nets, will scale without the cost diffilculties and historical designed problems linked with current CPUs.

Its technology allows it to run thousands of small processes at the same time and handle complex workloads.

Explaining its tech, Tendrils said: "Instead of starting from a sequential design, we’re building our processor to have thousands of cores operating in parallel. This requires moving beyond the notion of shared mutable memory and linear instruction sequences. To make this possible, we’re working in tandem on the open-source language Vine, which has been designed from the beginning to target a new wave of parallel-first architectures."

The startup has yet to disclose any hardware benchmarks, disclosing its performance levels.

The round, which was reportedly hotly contested, was led by Benchmark with participation from Visionaries Clubs, the UK Sovereign AI Fund, FR8, Antimatter, Cloudberry VC, Conviction, Embassy Ventures, and SV Angels.