AI chip firm Cerebras wins $45M from DARAPA to speed up chip connections
There are still a lot of inefficiencies and bottlenecks in computer chips so this new funding is aimed at creating even better faster AI chips.
Key takeaways
- Cerebras Systems develops wafer-scale chips, with its Wafer Scale Engine 3 boasting four trillion transistors and 900,000 'AI cores,' alongside 44GB of on-chip SRAM.
- Sold as part of the CS-3 system, the company claims the chip is capable of 125 peak AI petaflops.
- In August 2024, Cerebras confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC – although share price and expected market cap have yet to be revealed.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'AI chip firm Cerebras wins $45M from DARAPA to speed up chip connections', 311 Institute, 10 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/ai-chip-firm-cerebras-wins-45m-from-darapa-to-speed-up-chip-connections/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
As companies look to accelerate every part of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) development pipeline wafer-scale chip designer Cerebras Systems – who makes dinner sized AI chips and some of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers - and Canadian silicon photonics firm Ranovus have been awarded a $45 million contract from DARPA to reduce AI-related compute bottleneck challenges.
In a statement announcing the project, the two companies said they will “solve the communication bottleneck” by integrating Ranovus’ advanced co-packaged optics interconnects with Cerebras wafer-sized semiconductors.
Under the terms of the initiative, Cerebras and Ranovus are expected to deliver “the industry-first wafer-scale photonic interconnect solution” that would enable “compute performance impossible to achieve today” using a “fraction of the power consumed by GPUs tied together with traditional switches.”
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The project will support DARPA’s Digital RF Battlespace Emulator (DRBE) program, which explores novel computing architectures to create a “new breed” of high-performance computing, dubbed “Real Time HPC,” which will boost computational throughput whilst maintaining extremely low latency.
Cerebras is also involved with the DRBE program and is currently executing the third phase by delivering a leading-edge RF emulation supercomputer.
“By combining wafer scale technology and co-packaged optics interconnects, Cerebras will deliver a platform capable of real-time, high-fidelity simulations for the most challenging physical environment simulations and the largest scale AI workloads, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in AI and in high performance computing and AI,” said Andrew Feldman, co-founder and CEO of Cerebras.
Cerebras Systems develops wafer-scale chips, with its Wafer Scale Engine 3 boasting four trillion transistors and 900,000 'AI cores,' alongside 44GB of on-chip SRAM. Sold as part of the CS-3 system, the company claims the chip is capable of 125 peak AI petaflops.
In August 2024, Cerebras confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC – although share price and expected market cap have yet to be revealed.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
There are still a lot of inefficiencies and bottlenecks in computer chips so this new funding is aimed at creating even better faster AI chips.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 10 September 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). AI chip firm Cerebras wins $45M from DARAPA to speed up chip connections. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/ai-chip-firm-cerebras-wins-45m-from-darapa-to-speed-up-chip-connections/
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