Kinara (formerly Deep Vision)
Category: AI Chips / Semiconductors
Edge AI chipmaker, founded as Deep Vision, that builds power-efficient programmable discrete neural processing units (Ara-1, Ara240) plus an SDK. Acquired by NXP Semiconductors in October 2025. Kinara (formerly Deep Vision) was founded in 2015. The company is led by Ravi Annavajjhala. Based in Palo Alto, California, United States. Total funding raised: $54M. Latest round: Acquired. Key investors include Tiger Global Management, Exfinity Venture Partners.
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Palo Alto, California, United States
- Total funding
- $54M
Value proposition
Low-latency, low-power, cost-efficient AI inference at the edge, from vision CNNs to generative AI, LLMs and VLMs, without relying on the cloud.
Products and solutions
Ara-1 discrete NPU (up to 6 eTOPS, shipping in volume for vision workloads), Ara240 / Ara-2 second-generation DNPU (up to 40 eTOPS, optimized for GenAI, LLMs and VLMs), Kinara SDK with model optimization tools and a library of pre-optimized models. The SDK is being integrated into NXP eIQ.
Unique value
A programmable RISC-V-based dataflow architecture that runs both CNNs and transformers efficiently on discrete edge NPUs, paired with a full software stack.
Target customer
OEMs and system integrators building edge devices such as smart cameras, edge servers, industrial and robotics systems, retail analytics and automotive/IoT systems.
Industries served
Smart retail, Robotics, Industrial automation, Smart cities and security, Automotive, Edge servers and PCs
Technology advantage
A polymorphic dataflow architecture that came out of the founders' Stanford research. It parses inference graphs across proprietary MAC units, so the chips adapt as AI models evolve and deliver strong performance per watt.
How they differentiate
Discrete NPUs that pair with host application processors such as NXP i.MX. Ara240 is focused on generative AI and LLMs at the edge, and the programmable dataflow design offers flexibility compared with fixed-function accelerators.
Main competitors
Hailo (acquired by Microchip), Axelera AI, NVIDIA Jetson
Key partnerships
NXP (longtime partner program member, then acquirer), SiFive (RISC-V integration), AMD Kria K26 edge AI appliance using 4 Ara-1 chips
Major milestones
2015: founded as Deep Vision by Stanford researchers. 2020-11: launched the ARA-1 processor. 2021-03: $35M Series B led by Tiger Global. Later rebranded as Kinara and launched Ara-2/Ara240. 2025-02: NXP agreed to acquire Kinara for $307M. 2025-10-27: acquisition completed.
Growth metrics
Had raised $19M before the Series B (as of Nov 2020) and $54M in total. Ara-1 is shipping in volume. Acquired for $307M in cash.
Market positioning
One of the leading independent discrete edge NPU vendors, now part of NXP's edge AI portfolio alongside its MCUs and i.MX application processors.
Geographic focus
Global. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with significant engineering in India (Hyderabad/Bangalore).
About Ravi Annavajjhala
Executive roles at Intel and SanDisk; 20+ years in semiconductors and business development. Led Deep Vision/Kinara through its $35M Series B (2021) and its $307M sale to NXP (closed Oct 2025). Since joined NXP.
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Official website: https://kinara.ai