Groq
Palo Alto, US · Founded 2016 · 310 employees on LinkedIn · 45 known investors
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Groq designs and manufactures the LPU (Language Processing Unit), a chip purpose-built for AI inference, and operates GroqCloud, a platform for running inference workloads with low latency and cost efficiency across global data centers.
Also known as Groq Inc.
Founders & leadership
Groq was founded in 2016 by Jonathan Ross and Douglas Wightman.
Board
Investors · 45
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Also in the syndicate · 1
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$734.7M disclosed across 3 of 7 rounds · 2016–2026
▶$672.2MraisedJul 2026 · 144 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Adam WinterExecutive Officer, Director
- John YetimogluDirector
- Alexander DavisDirector
- Offering amount
- $672.2M
- Amount sold
- $672.2M
- First sale
- Jun 2026
- Incorporated
- Limited Liability Company, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$52.3MraisedSep 2018 · 16 investors · ComputersRule 506(b)
- Jonathan RossExecutive Officer, Director
- Chamath PalihapitiyaDirector
- Douglas WightmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $60.7M
- Amount sold
- $52.3M
- First sale
- Aug 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2016
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$10.3MraisedDec 2016 · 6 investors · ComputersRule 506(b)
- Douglas WightmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Jonathan RossExecutive Officer, Director
- Chamath PalihapitiyaDirector
- Offering amount
- $10.7M
- Amount sold
- $10.3M
- First sale
- Oct 2016
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2016
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Groq is an AI infrastructure company focused on inference — the execution of trained AI models to serve users, products and agent tasks — rather than model training. The company designs and manufactures the LPU (Language Processing Unit), a chip purpose-built for AI inference, and operates GroqCloud, a platform for running inference workloads with low latency and cost efficiency across global data centers.
The company positions itself as an inference-focused cloud provider ("neocloud") and states that it pioneered the LPU. It has since introduced LPX, which the company describes as working alongside NVIDIA's next-generation GPUs to deliver inference capability at scale. Groq frames inference as an emerging capacity bottleneck as AI usage grows, and says it is building hundreds of megawatts of capacity with additional capacity planned.
Business model
Groq combines proprietary inference silicon with a cloud platform (GroqCloud) on which customers run inference workloads, operated out of data centers with capacity measured in megawatts.
Traction
Groq states it is building hundreds of megawatts of inference capacity with more planned, and announced the close of a $350 million Series A.
Latest developments
Groq announced the close of a $350 million Series A to build out its AI inference cloud, and introduced LPX as a complement to its LPU and to NVIDIA's next-generation GPUs.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, geography
Market position
Groq describes itself as an inference-focused cloud provider, differentiating from training-oriented AI infrastructure and positioning its own accelerators as working in combination with NVIDIA GPUs.
Groq's stated differentiation is purpose-built inference silicon (LPU, and subsequently LPX) intended to deliver both low latency and low cost simultaneously, rather than trading one against the other, delivered through its own cloud rather than only as hardware.
Technology
Groq's core technology is the LPU, a processor architected specifically for AI inference rather than general-purpose or training workloads, complemented by LPX, which the company describes as operating alongside NVIDIA next-generation GPUs. The stated design objective is to remove the trade-off between inference speed and cost.
Geography
Groq operates inference capacity across global data centers.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Competitors · 10
by search overlap
Companies competing with Groq for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsGroq announced the close of a $350 million Series A, framed by the company as supporting its build-out of an AI inference cloud.
$350M source ↗
Groq describes LPX, which works alongside NVIDIA next-generation GPUs to deliver inference capacity, in addition to the LPU the company says it pioneered.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Groqgroq.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Groq do?
- Groq builds purpose-built AI inference hardware and operates an inference cloud for running models at low latency.
- Who founded Groq?
- Groq was founded by Jonathan Ross, Douglas Wightman in 2016.
- Who are Groq's investors?
- Groq's investors include Acequia Capital (AceCap), Alumni Ventures, B Capital, Basecamp Fund, Beyond Capital, BlueYard Capital, Cambium Capital, Cleo Capital and 36 more.
- How much funding has Groq raised?
- Groq has disclosed $734.7M raised across 3 of its 7 known rounds.
- Where is Groq headquartered?
- Groq is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.