Sequoia-Backed Chip Startup Looks to Overhaul CPUs for AI Era

Gerard Williams, a onetime Apple Inc. executive who went on to sell a semiconductor venture to Qualcomm Inc., is back in the startup race, this time looking to offer a chip for AI.

Nuvacore, his new company, aims to provide a superior central processing unit, or CPU, for artificial intelligence computing. That component is increasingly seen as vital to handling AI workloads, alongside the graphics processing units popularized by Nvidia Corp.

The venture — backed by Sequoia Capital — is finalizing a round of seed financing and expects to proceed with Series A funding within a few months. ...