Newratek raises 21.8B KRW Pre-IPO round for on-device AI chips
What's the deal? Korean semiconductor firm Newratek has closed a late-stage Pre-IPO round of 21,800,000,000 KRW (around $14 million).
Investors included KB SecuritiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, LB Private EquityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, QID Private Equity, and WithWin InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which contributed 1,800,000,000 KRW through its first unicorn semiconductor fund.
Newratek was the first company to develop and commercialise a Wi-Fi HaLow chip, a long-range, low-power wireless technology used in smart cities, industrial IoT, smart metering, logistics, and retail.
Why now? The funding lets Newratek advance its next-generation chips and scale up as it pushes into the AI semiconductor market.
It is developing on-device AI chips that combine wired and wireless communication chips with a neural processing unit (NPU).
The round follows a 3,000,000,000 KRW strategic investment in 2025 from Kospi-listed SolumDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with which Newratek is co-developing electronic shelf label (ESL) solutions. Its chips have begun shipping to large US retailers.
What could go wrong? Wi-Fi HaLow remains a young standard, and Newratek faces competition in a crowded semiconductor market.
Scaling production and securing a stable supply chain will be critical as it expands beyond retail into mobility and industrial IoT.
The signal: Newratek is a breakout-stage company that pulled in a mix of corporate and institutional backers — from KB Securities to LB Private Equity — signalling confidence that its Wi-Fi HaLow expertise can translate into a broader on-device AI play. With WithWinDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → deploying its first unicorn semiconductor fund here, the round doubles as a bet that Korea's push to treat system semiconductors as a strategic industry will throw up its next breakout chip designer.
Read more: Sisun News
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