Germany has played an important role in the Graphcore story, going back to the company’s earliest days.
In 2016, our Series A funding round was led by Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), the investment arm of the engineering and technology multinational Bosch.
Later, another of Germany’s most successful businesses signalled its confidence in Graphcore, when BMW iVentures joined our list of investors in 2018.
These industrial and automotive giants saw the potential of applying accelerated AI compute to their own fields, and beyond.
So, it is was an easy decision to establish a Graphcore office in Germany, from where we can support local customers and play a part in building the country’s AI capability.
The continent’s largest economy is built on world-leading automotive, financial, industrial, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as world-class research institutions.
Casting the net wider, into the neighbouring Central European countries, adds yet more of the biggest names in finance, pharmaceuticals and even particle physics (where Graphcore is already establishing itself as a transformative technology).
I have the privilege of leading our expansion in the region as Territory Manager for Central Europe and Automotive EMEA.
Prior to joining Graphcore, I spent nearly 17 years at Xilinx, bringing cutting-edge semiconductors to a range of sectors, from auto and aerospace to industrial and medical.
Further accelerating the adoption of Graphcore systems in across Central Europe, is the addition of MEGWARE, one of Germany’s most respected technology providers, to our Global Partner Program.
MEGWARE brings 30 years of experience building datacentre-scale computer systems for Europe’s biggest research institutes, universities, and industrial and commercial customers, and MEGWARE setups are ranked among the most powerful computer systems in the world.
Announcing our partnership, MEGWARE’s CTO Axel Auweter said: “MEGWARE’s reputation is built on providing our customers with the very best tools and technologies, ensuring that innovators can realise new ideas and commercial enterprises maintain a competitive advantage.
"Working with Graphcore, and being able to recommend their products, ensures that both MEGWARE and our clients remain at the cutting-edge as we continue this great AI adventure together.”
The announcement of MEGWARE as a Graphcore Partner follows the launch in September of Graphcore’s Global Partner Program. Members include many of the world’s best known technology distributors, resellers and OEMs.
Working with MEGWARE and our other European and global partners, and looking out at the vast opportunity to help businesses and public organisations meet the challenges and realise the opportunities of the AI age is a thrilling prospect.
We can’t wait to see what people do with Graphcore technology.
