Israeli computer chip health monitoring startup ProteanTecs Ltd. said today it has closed on a $51 million late-stage round of funding that brings its total amount raised to north of $250 million.

Today’s Series D round was led by IAG Capital and saw participation from a host of strategic investors, including chip industry stalwarts such a Arm Holdings Plc and the venture capital arms of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Intel Corp. and MediaTek Inc. Others, including Siemens AG, Zeev Ventures, Addition, Avigdor Willenz Group, Porsche Automobil Holding SE and Koch Disruptive Technologies, are also backing the startup.

ProteanTecs is the developer of computer processor monitoring software that’s used to optimize power efficiency and improve their performance while enhancing their resiliency. The company reckons that its tools can help to reduce the development costs involved in building new processors and bring them to market faster.

Its software works by embedding tiny monitoring circuits into processors in order to gather telemetry data about their performance, heat and other operational characteristics. This data is then processed by artificial intelligence algorithms to identify possible flaws in the chip’s design. The software analyzes performance rapidly, examining billions of different parameters to generate insights that can aid in the chip’s design.

For instance, the software can help optimize the operating temperature of processors and make them more energy-efficient. Though transistors based on the same design should theoretically have the same heat tolerance, in practice that’s not always the case, and some parts of a chip may run hotter than others. ProteanTecs says its software can pinpoint the areas of a chip that are most sensitive to heat, allowing engineers to tweak their designs and make them run cooler.

ProteanTecs’ software also helps with quality control, as its monitoring circuits can be embedded into finished processors. This means devices such as personal computers and servers can track the health of their chips, and flag any problems that appear before they cause any disruption.

IAG Capital Partners co-founder Alonso Galván said ProteanTecs’ software is compelling because it addresses a universal need in the chipmaking industry by ensuring high-performance systems work as they’re supposed to. He said the company has a “strong market pull” and a “high-value model” that complements its existing portfolio, which includes numerous data center infrastructure startups.

ProteanTecs was founded in 2017 by its Chief Executive Shai Cohen, Chief Technology Officer Evelyn Landman, Chief Operating Officer Roni Ashuri and others who previously worked at Mellanox, the high-speed networking infrastructure company that was acquired by Nvidia Corp. for $6.9 billion in 2019. It’s headquartered in Israel and also has offices in the U.S., Taiwan and India. Its customers include hyperscale data center operators such as cloud providers, leading semiconductor designers and manufacturers and others in the automotive, telecommunications and consumer electronics industries.

The startup said it will use the money from today’s round to expand its business operations, develop new chip monitoring products and enhance its integrations.

“We will continue expanding our global presence, accelerating roll-out with major customers and introducing new innovations that reshape how electronics are built and operated,” Cohen said.

Image: ProteanTecs