Where is Groq headquartered?

Groq is headquartered in San Jose, United States. The company has a team of 377 people.

Groq operates in the AI Infrastructure sector. Groq is an AI inference neocloud operating global data-center infrastructure (including LPUs and NVIDIA accelerated computing) to deliver fast, low-cost production inference for developers and enterprises. Delivers industry-leading inference speed (hundreds of tokens per second with sub-10ms latency) at significantly lower costs than GPU-based solutions, with deterministic performance, energy efficiency, and simple OpenAI-compatible API integration.

When was Groq founded?

Groq was founded in 2016. It is based in San Jose, United States.

Who is the CEO of Groq?

Adam Winter is the CEO of Groq. The company was founded in 2016.

Where is Groq located?

Groq is headquartered in San Jose, United States.

What funding stage is Groq at?

Groq is currently at the Established stage.

How many employees does Groq have?

Groq has approximately 377 employees.

Groq

Category: AI Infrastructure

Groq is an AI inference neocloud operating global data-center infrastructure (including LPUs and NVIDIA accelerated computing) to deliver fast, low-cost production inference for developers and enterprises. Groq was founded in 2016. The company is led by Adam Winter. Based in San Jose, United States. Team size: 377. Total funding raised: $2,750,000,000. Latest round: Series D-3 ($750M, Sep 2025). Key investors include Disruptive, BlackRock, Neuberger Berman, Tiger Global Management, D1 Capital Partners, Social Capital, Cisco Investments, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, Altimeter Capital, 1789 Capital.

Founded: 2016
Headquarters: San Jose, United States
Team size: 377
Total funding: $2,750,000,000

Value proposition

Delivers industry-leading inference speed (hundreds of tokens per second with sub-10ms latency) at significantly lower costs than GPU-based solutions, with deterministic performance, energy efficiency, and simple OpenAI-compatible API integration.

Products and solutions

LPU Inference Engine (custom AI inference chips), GroqCloud API Platform (cloud-based inference service), GroqRack Compute Clusters (on-premise solutions with 64-576+ LPUs), Enterprise Solutions (for hyperscalers and large organizations), Government Solutions (via Carahsoft partnership)

Unique value

Pioneered the LPU (Language Processing Unit) in 2016 - the first chip architecture purpose-built specifically for AI inference rather than general-purpose computing. Uses deterministic, software-defined hardware architecture with SRAM-centric design for instant weight access and static scheduling for predictable performance.

Target customer

AI developers, enterprises requiring real-time inference, hyperscalers, sovereign clouds, government agencies, and regulated industries needing low-latency AI inference with data sovereignty requirements

Industries served

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Government & Defense, Energy & Utilities, Automotive & Motorsports (F1), Telecommunications

Technology advantage

Revolutionary chip architecture achieves ultra-low latency inference through: (1) SRAM-based design eliminating GPU memory bottlenecks, (2) Deterministic execution enabling predictable sub-10ms latency, (3) Tensor streaming processor (TSP) technology for optimized inference workloads, (4) Air-cooled design reducing infrastructure complexity, (5) OpenAI-compatible API requiring only 2-3 lines of code changes for migration, (6) Cost reduction up to 89% compared to GPU alternatives with 7.41x speed improvements.

How they differentiate

Groq differentiates through purpose-built LPU (Language Processing Unit) architecture specifically designed for AI inference rather than general-purpose computing. Unlike competitors focused on training workloads, Groq's deterministic, software-defined hardware delivers ultra-low latency inference (sub-10ms) with predictable performance using SRAM-centric design. The architecture achieves hundreds of tokens per second at significantly lower cost per inference than GPU alternatives. GroqCloud platform provides developer-first accessibility with OpenAI-compatible API requiring only 2-3 lines of code changes for migration, enabling rapid adoption by 2M+ developers and Fortune 500 enterprises.

Main competitors

Together AI, Fireworks AI, Cerebras Systems

Key partnerships

Nvidia (~$20B non-exclusive licensing agreement Dec 2025; planned investor in Aug 2026 Series A; Groq is NVIDIA Cloud Partner operating NVIDIA systems alongside LPUs), IBM (watsonx Orchestrate / GroqCloud, October 2025), Samsung (4nm LPU manufacturing; also manufactures Nvidia Groq 3 LPX LPUs), GlobalFoundries (LPU v1 manufacturing), Cisco (AI-optimized networking, February 2025), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia / Aramco Digital / HUMAIN ($1.5B Dammam AI inference hub), U.S. Department of Energy (MOU, December 2025), McLaren F1 Team (real-time AI inference), Carahsoft Technology (government distribution, May 2024)

Notable customers

IBM, Fortune 500 companies (75%+ adoption), Nominow, StackAI, Orq.ai, Data Leaders, Hunch, Tenali, Aramco Digital, Bell Canada, U.S. Government agencies (via Carahsoft), Argonne National Laboratory

Major milestones

Founded in 2016 by Jonathan Ross (Google TPU creator), Achieved unicorn status with $300M Series C (Apr 2021), Launched GroqCloud developer platform (Feb 2024), Acquired Definitive Intelligence to enhance cloud platform (Mar 2024), Raised $640M Series D at $2.8B valuation led by BlackRock (Aug 2024), Secured $1.5B commitment from Saudi Arabia for Dammam AI hub (Feb 2025), Raised $750M Series D-3 at $6.9B valuation led by Disruptive (Sep 2025), Signed landmark ~$20B non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia; Ross/Madra and ~90% of engineering joined Nvidia; Simon Edwards interim CEO (Dec 2025), Distributed billions to shareholders from Nvidia deal (2026), Adam Winter appointed CEO; rebuilt leadership (Alan Rice COO, Sinclair Schuller CTO, Rakesh Malhotra CPO) (2026), Raised $650M growth capital led by Disruptive and Infinitum to scale inference cloud (Jun 2026), Closed $350M Series A at $3.5B valuation led by Disruptive with planned NVIDIA participation; NVIDIA Cloud Partner; 6M+ developers, 13 data centers (Aug 2026)

Growth metrics

Post-Nvidia Dec 2025 licensing deal, rebuilt as inference neocloud: $650M growth round (Jun 2026) then $350M Series A at $3.5B valuation (Aug 2026; down from prior $6.9B chip-era mark). Operates 13 data centers (NA/Europe/ME/APAC); ~54 MW scaling to 200+ MW by 2027. Serves 6M+ developers and Fortune 500 / AI-native customers; NVIDIA Cloud Partner. Headcount ~310 (Aug 2026). Combined Jun+Aug 2026 raises = $1B recent capital.

Market positioning

Post-Dec 2025 Nvidia licensing/talent deal, Groq pivoted from proprietary LPU chip challenger to independent AI inference neocloud / data-center operator. Now an NVIDIA Cloud Partner deploying LPUs and NVIDIA accelerated computing across 13 global sites, targeting developers, Fortune 500, and AI-native firms needing scalable production inference. Valued at $3.5B (Aug 2026 Series A) under CEO Adam Winter and Executive Chairman Alex Davis (Disruptive).

Geographic focus

Primary markets: United States (Mountain View HQ/San Jose offices), Canada, and Europe (Norway, Finland via Equinix partnership). Significant strategic expansion in Middle East through $1.5B Saudi Arabia partnership for Dammam AI inference hub. Global developer reach with 3M+ developers across 75+ countries, with particular strength in North American enterprise market and growing presence in Asia-Pacific region.

Patents and IP

98 patents filed globally covering: power supply and management systems, processing architecture innovations, data structure optimizations, AI chip design, and energy-efficient computing methods. Key patents focus on reducing power consumption in AI processors and deterministic computing architectures.

About Adam Winter

Adam Winter is Chief Executive Officer of Groq, leading its expansion as a global AI inference infrastructure / neocloud business. He joined Groq in 2024 to lead international business (previously GM Partnerships & MENAT / EMEA) and became CEO in 2026 after the Dec 2025 Nvidia licensing deal. Over a 30-year technology career spanning the internet and AI platform shifts, he spent more than a decade at Cisco and later built and scaled businesses across cloud, cybersecurity, and AI.