Business Plan
An overview of the business
What does it do and what makes it different?
Our products are hybrid 3D CPU-GPU-VPU Systems-on-Chips (SoCs) that are designed to be more efficient, use less power and be easier and less cost to integrate into products such as smartphones, netbooks, chromebooks, tablets, Industrial IoT, routers, IPTV and many more.
We accomplish this at the hardware level by extending the OpenPOWER Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) with an innovative Vector ISA that merges 3D, Video and CPU into one single hybrid processor, where normal systems would have two or three separate processors (and complex firmware arrangements). At the software level we engage closely with community resources and partners to ensure upstream collaboration. Complexity is reduced, time to market is reduced, power consumption is reduced.
A typical SoC licenses separate closed-source CPU and closed-source GPU, introducing huge complexity in the drivers, making the ODM critically reliant on the GPU supplier, and limiting both ODM and end-user innovation opportunities. We provide the full source code even for the processor HDL, and full firmware source. This allows end-users to audit the product in full (a critical requirement for secure environments).
Goals.
What does the business want to achieve? This should set some SMART objectives that will quickly show if the business is succeeding.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Keep it simple – three big goals supported by clear
targeted actions to get you there
Our very early goals are to develop a low-cost 180/130nm Gigabit router product with built-in cryptographic primitives and direct packet routing. Timescale is end of Q4 2021 and using Google Skywater 130nm "Libre" MPW for a test ASIC Q2 2021.
The second product is a 28nm (or lower) Quad-Core competitor to the ASpeed 2600, a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) SoC capable of acting as a PCIe-based Graphics Card after its primary "boot" job is done. BMCs are present on almost every server motherboard: they are used to boot and manage Servers in Cloud Computing Data Centres world-wide. The product will also be suitable for a SBC (Single Board Computer) with "Raspberry Pi" style interfaces and, with both USB-C, PCIe host and client, can act as an independent low-power affordable Graphics Card (a 3D version of the Volari X11) with modest 3D and Video capabilities for use typically in Data Centres and Embedded Industrial PCs, as well as a USB-C Graphics Adapter (similar to DisplayLink products). Timescale is end of Q2 2022.
The long-term products are intended to reach mass-volume adoption of 100 to 500 million units, using the latest geometries to gain high performance as well as power savings, primarily in the smartphone netbooks chromebooks tablets IoT and IPTV markets. These to be planned and developed in overlap with the 28nm product, for delivery Q2 2023.
Additionally we seek to establish ourselves as a "Solutions Provider", developing custom-targetted high performance, high efficiency processors as part of full product design and delivery. This through leveraging and engaging professional community and partner resources with the highest level of exertise in the customer's market.
Your audience and the market.
Who will your business supply and how will it reach them? How big is the market and who are your key competitors?
Our initial target market for the router product is small "Libre" sales channels such as Thinkpenguin. Launch will be through Crowdsupply, which places the router directly onto Mouser's website and fulfilment channel.
The Quad Core intermediate product is intended for targetted supply to select customers (unique branded), and a generic branded variant to SBC community-focussed ODMs such as Pine64, Purism, Orange Pi etc. These typically have sales volumes (each) of 20 to 100k units per year. The worldwide "Community" SBC market, which overlaps with Industrial IoT and Education, is in the 400k and above range.
The overall SoC market is massive (hundreds of millions per year when including smartphone, netbook and chromebook products). Competitors for the intermediate product include Samsung, Texas Instruments, Rockchip, Allwinner, AMLogic, ST Micro, Atmel, Freescale/NXP, and dozens more. The key distinguisher is the "niche targetting" (peripherals, built-in capabilities) and yet with not one single one of them providing full source and firmware for CPU, GPU and VPU due to licensing of closed solutions they are all effectively not truly competitors.
The long-term competitors include Apple, AMD, NVidia and Intel, where we will be providing the high performance power-efficient Hybrid CPU-GPU-VPU processors that they cannot.
Products and pricing.
What will you be selling and how will your prices be set? How does this compare with your competitors?
For the first phase we will manufacture and sell a completed 5 port Gigabit Ethernet Libre/Open router product using our SoC that is similar to Linksys products. Full source code and CAD designs will be provided, immediately. Retail pricing for a 2xUSB2 5xGbeE router product is around the USD $45 mark, with the SoC alone in 180nm QFP retailing around the $9 mark ($5 in high volume)
For the second phase we will provide the BMC and SBC style Quad Core SoC to select customers, with the target price in volumes of 50k units being around the USD $23 mark (ASpeed 2600 is $35 and is not very good).
The third phase which involves MOQ 250k units will be targetting sub $7 for mid-range SoCs and $15 for high-end ones.
Who is involved.
Many investors say they invest as much in the people as they do in the business. Share some information about people’s roles, experience and passions.
Luke: TODO.
Jacob: TODO.
Cole: TODO.
Lauri: TODO.
Cesar: TODO
Tobias: I'm a full stack software engineer with a passion for FPGAs, linux kernel development, virtual machines and compilers.
Financials.
Provide details about sales, costs, break-even points and where investment will come from. If you’re looking for people to invest, you should include information about likely returns. If you’re looking for ways to finance your business, crowdfunding, alternative finance and government funding are a good place to start.
We have EUR 350,000 in grants from NLnet and are eligible for access to the Google Skywater 130nm Libre MPW Programme. We have a good relationship with Crowdsupply and the project has been in pre-launch mode for a year, in preparation.
The Router ASIC's development and MPW may be entirely paid-for with NLnet Grants (TBD) as long as they have a focus on crypto-primitives. Its real purpose serves as a training ground for the team and a proving ground for the core concept, with no financial risk.
TBD