TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan-based startup Upbeat Tech has developed a breakthrough AI chip that dramatically reduces power consumption while maintaining strong performance.

Company founder Chen Chung-chieh (陳中恝), originally from Kaohsiung and raised in Taichung, studied electrical engineering at National Cheng Kung University before moving to the US, per CNA. He joined Intel in 1995 as part of its CPU design team.

After leaving Intel, Chen worked at three startups before founding Upbeat Tech in 2016. The name “Upbeat,” taken from American movie subtitles, reflects a spirit of optimism and forward momentum, he said.

While Taiwan is a global leader in contract manufacturing for AI — powering data centers for firms like Nvidia — Chen said local venture capitalists were hesitant to back original deep-tech projects. “I once pitched to an investor for an hour, and all he asked was which Taiwanese company was already doing this,” he recalled.

Upbeat’s flagship product is a bone-conduction micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone chip with in-memory AI acceleration — a novel category. Initial skepticism from investors and partners faded only after US-based audio giant Knowles introduced a similar product, validating the concept.

Chen emphasized that energy efficiency is the next major frontier for AI. While traditional AI servers require massive power and advanced cooling systems, AI-enabled robots often drain their batteries too quickly.

In contrast, Upbeat’s chip supports low-power anomaly detection and can run on minimal energy. The innovation earned the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ innovation award. Target applications include smart glasses, wireless headphones, and other wearable devices.

Upbeat has already sent samples to Apple and other global tech firms. A product launch event is scheduled for later this month near Google’s headquarters.