SAN FRANCISCO, CA — SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 — Vellex Computing has been awarded a $305,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), supporting the company's development of analog computing technology for real-time optimization.
The grant funds research into applying Vellex's physics-based analog optimization engine to power systems feasibility studies, a domain where conventional simulation approaches require hours or days to complete. The same engine underpins Vellex's broader work in on-device AI training and real-time control, where the ability to solve complex optimization problems at low power enables intelligent edge applications across robotics, satellite systems, and industrial IoT.
"NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. "We take great pride in funding deep-technology startups and small businesses that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow."
"The innovation drastically reduces the time required for grid interconnection feasibility studies," said Palak Jain, CEO of Vellex Computing. "By applying our analog-based optimization architecture to power network simulations, we can complete studies that once took days or hours in seconds, helping energy generators, data center developers, utilities, and planners accelerate their timeline through the interconnection process and deploy energy resources faster, with more certainty, and at lower cost."
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About Vellex Computing Vellex Computing is a Stanford-spinout analog semiconductor company developing ultra-low-power chips for AI training. Powered by a decade of research and backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, Vellex's technology delivers AI training at a fraction of the energy cost of GPU-based solutions. Vellex is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
contact@vellex.ai | vellex.ai
About the NSF's Small Business Programs
America's Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America's Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.
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