Leading AI chip company Tenstorrent announced a round of layoffs, with a reduction of 7.5% of its workforce, bringing the total number of employees down to about 1,000. This move was led by CEO Jim Keller, who stated in an interview with EETimes that the layoffs were a company-wide adjustment and not focused on any specific department. Keller noted that the main reason for the layoffs was the mismatch between employees' skills, mindset, and team fit, rather than financial pressure.

Tenstorrent has also made significant adjustments to its sales strategy, shifting its focus from enterprise markets to individual developers. The company believes that although it is still in the early stages of development, collaboration with developers and small and medium-sized businesses will help expand its market audience and build a more complete ecosystem. Jim Keller emphasized that close collaboration with developers will be an important direction for the company's future development.

In terms of technology, Tenstorrent's third-generation AI hardware uses a chiplet design, and the original plan to tape out in the fourth quarter of 2023 has been postponed to the first quarter of 2026. In addition, Tenstorrent is working with third parties to improve the performance of its second-generation chip BlackHole in AI model inference to meet the rapid changes in the market and growing demand.

This move not only demonstrates Tenstorrent's continuous innovation in the AI chip field but also reflects its flexible response to market changes. Despite the challenges of layoffs, Tenstorrent remains focused on future development and actively seeks opportunities for collaboration with developers and small and medium-sized businesses.

Key points:   

🌟 Tenstorrent announced a 7.5% layoff, reducing the number of employees to around 1,000.  

🔄 Shifts sales focus to individual developers, committed to building a broader ecosystem.  

🛠️ Third-generation AI hardware tape-out delayed to the first quarter of 2026, continuously optimizing technical performance.