Asia-focused venture capital firm Gobi Partners has invested into SkyeChip, a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) design company in Malaysia.

Gobi Partners said in a statement on Wednesday that this investment has been made through the Khazanah Nasional-backed Gobi Dana Impak Fund, as well as Gobi’s regional funds that are backed by leading domestic and international institutions.

The investment will fuel SkyeChip’s talent acquisition, business expansion plans as well as its working capital needs.

The investment aligns with Khazanah’s Dana Impak mandate to support Malaysian companies contributing to technological innovation, social mobility, and long-term economic resilience via the enhancement of Malaysia’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

SkyeChip’s proprietary intellectual property, commitment to research and development (R&D), and expansion into custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design will boost its market position and contribute to Malaysia’s standing as a key player in the global chip ecosystem.

Led by Fong Swee Kiang and Teh Chee Hak, the firm specializes in silicon intellectual property (IP) and custom ASICs.

The company designs and develops semiconductors for advanced applications such as artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC).

Gobi’s investment into SkyeChip stems from the company’s track record of establishing a strong presence in the chip design market in just a few years after SkyeChip’s founding.

Increasing international demand for Southeast Asian-based designers like SkyeChip; huge growth in key end-markets such as AI and HPC; and the company’s ability to continuously innovate on existing and new product offerings should fuel SkyeChip’s expansion over the long-term.

Additionally, Malaysia’s strategic location and growing ecosystem makes it an ideal hub for semiconductor innovation in Southeast Asia.

“We believe SkyeChip is well-positioned to capitalize on the rising demand for advanced semiconductor solutions, particularly in AI and HPC applications,

“The team has built a formidable business at the cutting edge of IP and IC design, and we look forward to working with them through their next stage of growth,” said Hisham Ibrahim, Executive Director at Gobi Partners.

“We are proud that SkyeChip has chosen to partner with us, and we believe our investment will help SkyeChip expand its impact and contribute to the growth of Malaysia’s semiconductor industry,” he added.

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