South Korea's hottest AI hardware startup reportedly said no to $800m acquisition by Meta

• South Korean startup FuriosaAI rejected an $800 takeover from Meta

• Deal collapsed over post-acquisition plans despite above market valuation

• FuriosaAI chose to stay independent and will launch its RNGD chip this year

As demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow, hyperscalers like Meta, Microsoft, and Google are actively working to reduce their reliance on Nvidia’s pricey hardware by developing their own custom silicon. Meta has reportedly begun testing its first in-house AI training chip, as part of a broader push to gain more control over its AI stack.

In addition to its internal efforts, Meta has also been exploring acquisitions of promising AI chipmakers to bolster its hardware capabilities.

One such target was Korean startup FuriosaAI, which the tech giant saw as a strong candidate to help accelerate its AI infrastructure ambitions. Meta made a buyout offer worth $800 million (approximately 1.2 trillion won) for the company, but despite the offer coming in about 400 billion won (roughly $300 million) above FuriosaAI’s estimated market value, it was rebuffed...

View the full article