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SEMIFIVE
SEMIFIVE — custom silicon design house and Samsung SAFE partner founded 2019 by CEO Brandon Cho. Raised $52M Series-B in 2023, team of 350+.
SEMIFIVE
SEMIFIVE was founded in Seoul in May 2019 by Brandon Cho, a former Boston Consulting Group strategy consultant with a PhD in computer architecture from MIT. The firm built its base by acquiring South Korean design houses Sesol Semiconductor and Dahsim Semiconductor in December 2019, and it completed three further acquisitions — Hanatec, Dashim Semiconductor, and Analog Bits — between 2021 and 2022. The company operates as a full-custom silicon design house and Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) partner, covering SoC platform design, front-end/back-end engineering, and turnkey manufacturing (wafer fab, packaging, test). Its announced design wins include 8nm security camera application processors for a global market leader (2021), 5nm HPC platforms (2021), 4nm SoCs (2022), and LPU and CXL-based accelerator chips at 4nm (2024). SEMIFIVE's geographic footprint spans South Korea, a U.S. office established in March 2021, and an India design center in Bengaluru opened in October 2021. The firm reports a headcount of over 350, making it the fastest-growing SAFE DSP partner (per the firm). It raised $30M Series-A in 2020, $109M Series-B in February 2022, and an additional $52M Series-B in April 2023, the last of which remains the most recent disclosed financing. In January 2024 it scored a 4nm LPU chip design win, and in February 2024 a 4nm CXL-based accelerator chip design win — both at Samsung's most advanced nodes. It joined the ARM Total Design partner program in June 2024. SEMIFIVE's structural differentiator is its SoC Platform model, a pre-integrated, pre-verified IP bundle that claims to reduce design cost and time for customers. This turns a traditional engineering-services business into a repeatable product. Combined with access to Samsung's foundry ecosystem and a $191M total disclosed funding base, the platform model allows SEMIFIVE to compete with larger design-service firms by offering a faster path from concept to silicon.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2019
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Asia
Country
South Korea
City
Seongnam
Corporate office
Seongnam, South Korea
Additional offices
Bengaluru, India · United States (unspecified city)
Principals
Brandon Cho
CEO
Steve Park
President
Simon Kim
EVP, PMO
Jason Kim
VP Corp. Dev.
Jin Lee
CTO/EVP
Simon Lee
Senior VP & CFO
Patrick Song
EVP/CMO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at SEMIFIVE?
SEMIFIVE is a privately held operating company, not an investment vehicle. Strategic and financial decisions are made by CEO Brandon Cho and his executive leadership team, which includes President Steve Park (former Samsung EVP), CFO Simon Lee, and VP of Corporate Development Jason Kim. The board likely oversees major fundraising and M&A, but the firm has not disclosed its board composition.
How does SEMIFIVE source proprietary deal flow?
SEMIFIVE generates deal flow through its position as a Samsung SAFE Design Solution Partner, which grants it access to Samsung Foundry's ecosystem of EDA, IP, and OSAT partners. The firm also acquires smaller design houses and IP companies — it has completed five acquisitions since 2019 — to add capabilities and customer relationships.
Is SEMIFIVE structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
SEMIFIVE is neither a family office nor a venture firm. It is a for-profit semiconductor design services company, capitalized through venture capital and corporate investors. The firm has disclosed three funding rounds: seed ($8M in 2019), Series-A ($30M in 2020), and Series-B (totaling $161M across 2022 and 2023). Investors remain unnamed.
Does SEMIFIVE participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
SEMIFIVE does not make fund commitments or direct investments in other companies. It operates as an engineering-services and turnkey manufacturing provider, taking on customer design projects in exchange for service fees. It does not take equity stakes in its clients.
What investment stages does SEMIFIVE typically target?
SEMIFIVE does not target investment stages because it is not an investing entity. As a design and manufacturing partner, it works with customers at the concept stage all the way through high-volume production, covering architecture planning, IP integration, design verification, tape-out, and post-silicon qualification.
Which sectors does SEMIFIVE explicitly avoid?
SEMIFIVE has not publicly disclosed any sectors it avoids. Its announced design wins span AI accelerators, 5G ASICs, security camera processors, edge computing platforms, and data-center chips, suggesting a broad focus on digital-intensive end markets rather than sectors like automotive or medical.
How is SEMIFIVE related to Samsung?
SEMIFIVE is an independent company but operates as a Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) Design Solution Partner. It has working relationships with Samsung Foundry's manufacturing sites and has extensive experience on 14nm, 8nm, 5nm, and 4nm nodes. The firm is not a Samsung subsidiary and is free to work with other foundries, though it continues to lead with Samsung.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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