–Experts in AI/ML, edge computing, analog semiconductors, and IoT bring engineering acumen, operational excellence to analogML™ pioneer
PI
TTSBURGH—August 17, 2021—Aspinity, the developer of analog machine learning (analogML™) chips that enable near-zero-power always-on sensing for battery-powered devices, has added a trio of industry veterans to its organization. Glen Clark, former corporate vice president and general manager of Analog Products, Cadence Design Systems has joined Aspinity as vice president of engineering along with two high-profile members of the company’s board of directors: Jonathan Ballon, former vice president and general manager, Edge AI and IoT, Intel Corporation, and Stephen DiFranco, whose senior leadership positions in semiconductors span Broadcom, Cypress and AMD.
“Following our fruitful Series A funding round in September 2020 with investors such as Amazon and Anzu Partners, engagement with major product manufacturers, and collaborations with influential industry partners such as Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics, we’ve laid the groundwork for the successful market introduction of our first chip,” said Tom Doyle, founder and CEO, Aspinity. “The addition of Glen Clark, Jonathan Ballon and Stephen DiFranco marks the next milestone in our company’s progression. We’re thrilled to have these three powerhouses join Aspinity’s internal and advisory teams.”
During his 21-year career at Cadence, Glen Clark rose from R&D director at Neolinear—which Cadence acquired in 2004—to lead a global R&D team for which he steered product design and development, articulated the roadmap, and directed strategic planning for the company’s industry-leading analog IC platform. Under Clark’s leadership, Aspinity will deliver its chips with an intuitive software development environment that enables customers to create their own application-specific algorithms for the company’s novel analogML core. He will also grow the engineering team to accelerate commercialization and support the company’s expanding list of customers and partners worldwide.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Aspinity’s talented and driven team,” said Glen Clark, vice president of engineering, Aspinity. “Living in the world of analog semiconductors for most of my career has shown me analog’s advantages in power, performance and reliability, which is why I’m so excited about our analogML core. Capturing the built-in benefits of analog architectures for machine learning, the analogML core enables near-zero power in always-on-listening products, making it a breakthrough technology for the hundreds of millions of IoT devices and small consumer electronics that run on battery. The other game-changer is its ease of programmability for digital and analog engineers alike.”
Aspinity’s two new board members are accomplished senior executives who cumulatively bring more than 50 years of semiconductor expertise to Aspinity. While at Intel Corporation, Jonathan Ballon steered a multibillion-dollar global product line and organization responsible for various AI/ML and edge computing segments, leading ecosystem and channel development for the group, and aggressively accelerating revenue growth by 14% year on year—which was double the market rate. He also pioneered the development of new AI/ML hardware and software tools and scaled operations in China, significantly expanding regional profitability.
Stephen DiFranco works with teams around the world to identify how the next generation of AI technologies will create competitive advantage, impact outcomes, and streamline IoT services. His passion is how IoT and AI companies change offerings, implement go-to-market strategies, and create new customer opportunities. DiFranco is currently an executive partner with Gartner’s chief sales officer practice and has held executive in residence (EIR) seats at Plug&Play, Silicon Catalyst, and the IoT Advisory Group. He is currently an advisor to three start-ups and a board member of a private company that automates medical endpoints. Previously, he held executive positions at Broadcom, HP, Lenovo, and AMD. At Broadcom, DiFranco first managed the IoT group in enabling clients to create some of the world’s first connected devices. He then led the sales of the Broadcom IoT Group to Cypress Semiconductor.
Together, Ballon and DiFranco’s extensive relationships in the complex IoT and edge computing ecosystem—as well as their expertise in shepherding semiconductor chips from R&D to multibillion dollar product lines—will prove pivotal for Aspinity’s growth as the company introduces its products to market.
