Nvidia backs Indian startup helping companies run AI models with fewer GPUs
Nvidia, the leading supplier of AI chips, has joined a $14 million funding round in Indian startup Simplismart, which builds software for running AI models more efficiently. The round values the company at about $100 million.
Nvidia, the dominant supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) chips, has become an investor in Simplismart, an Indian startup whose software helps companies run AI models more efficiently and, in some cases, on fewer graphics processing units (GPUs). The startup raised $14 million in a Series B round led by Dallas Venture Capital, with Nvidia, Accel, Shastra VC and Micromax also taking part. The four-year-old company is valued at about $100 million including the new money.
The problem the software addresses
Companies are spending heavily on GPUs to power AI applications, yet running models reliably and economically at scale remains difficult. Different workloads require different trade-offs between speed, cost and performance. Simplismart's software sits between AI models and the computing infrastructure beneath them, automating much of the tuning. It can adjust response speed, the number of requests handled and the amount of computing power consumed.
The Bengaluru-based company lets customers run models on its own platform or in their existing cloud and on-premises environments. It also offers tools for fine-tuning, automatic scaling and performance monitoring. Simplismart says it helped video-generation platform InVideo cut GPU serving costs by 56%. Other customers include HeyGen, Higgsfield and Ema, while Indian cloud provider Yotta uses the technology in its Shakti Studio platform.
Growth and plans
CEO and co-founder Amritanshu Jain said annualized revenue has grown 14-fold over six months to an eight-figure sum, without giving the exact figure. More than half of revenue comes from the U.S. The company has 58 employees and plans to use the funding to expand in the U.S., hire and develop its software further.
Nvidia is also working with Simplismart on technical integrations, including around its Dynamo inference software, and helping introduce it to potential customers. Simplismart competes with Nvidia's own offerings as well as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Jain argued that more efficient inference could ultimately benefit Nvidia by encouraging wider adoption of AI.
