只要Cupertino有放煙火,我就會去看,我的秘境在Creekside Bible Church 旁邊一點的管制區裡面,可以坐在人行道也可以坐在大馬路上看。煙火就在眼前,連抬頭都不需要。人潮都集中在附近的公園裡,所以我的秘境相對空曠。我們車停在Stevens Creek店都關門的shopping center 再走過去。
After decades in Silicon Valley, a former Apple and Amazon engineer started an AI chip company in his mid-50s
ByHuileng Tan, 2 days ago
Business Insider
Stephen Huang, Founder and CEO of Tranxform, participated in a demo at the Computex trade show this year.
Stephen Huang/Tranxform
After decades in Silicon Valley, Stephen Huang, 55, launched AI chip startup Tranxform.
Tranxform is trying to build more efficient AI processors and recruit top talent in Taiwan.
Huang says AI hardware favors deep experience over youthful speed.
Stephen Huang had spent decades building chips in Silicon Valley when ChatGPT's launch convinced him the market was ready for the AI chip company he had long considered building.
By then, Huang had worked on MediaTek's GPUs, Apple'sFace ID technology, and at an Amazon AI chip team.
When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, Huang became convinced the industry had reached a turning point. "I felt the market had arrived," he said.
So at 55, Huang decided to start over.
In 2024, he founded Tranxform AI, a Taiwan-based AI chip startup developing power-efficient processors designed to run AI models outside large data centers.
The company now employs about 40 people and is preparing its first chip, which Huang expects to be ready next year.
The CEO is among a growing number of entrepreneurs chasing opportunities created by the AI boom. Unlike many founders building companies around large language models, however, he spent decades designing chips before launching his own startup.
In fact, Huang believes age may be on his side, arguing that hardware startups often favor experience in ways software startupsdo not.
Semiconductor design is a long game, he said. Building a system-on-a-chip — the integrated processor that powers devices ranging from smartphones to AI systems — requires balancing countless tradeoffs across hardware and software, a skill that can take decades to develop.
"To build a good SoC, you need experience," Huang said. "Otherwise, you would not know how to balance different operations."
Huang's startup adventure was not an obvious one.
Before founding Tranxform, he had a stable career and a comfortable income in the US. Building the company meant taking a significant risk and spending most of his time in Taiwan, a decision his family initially struggled to accept.
As Tranxform grew and reached key milestones, his family's attitude changed. "Today, they are proud of what we have accomplished," he said.
The timing also helped. Huang's two sons were adults when he founded the company. One works in the technology industry, while the other recently graduated from university.
"Having them become independent has made it easier for me to dedicate the time and energy needed to build Tranxform," he said.
Huangsaidhebelieved the risk was worth taking because demand for specialized AI hardware would continue growing as companies looked for faster and more energy-efficient ways to run increasingly complex models.
Huang's optimism comes as investors pour fresh capital into AI hardware.
Venture funding for AI and machine-learning chip startups rose over 70% to $16.2 billion in 2025 from the year before, according to PitchBook. However, the number of deals fell to 232 from 266 in the same period as investors increasingly wrote bigger checks to a smaller cohort of potential breakout companies.
This year, funding stood at $9.9 billion as of June 22, with deal counts at 87, per PitchBook.
Returning home
While AI drew Huang toward entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley's intensifying talent wars made him rethink where to build his company.
His years in Silicon Valley taught him how difficult it was for startups to compete with tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Nvidia for engineering talent.
"We kept training people, and they got poached," he said.
Huang built his company in the Taiwanese chip hub of Hsinchu, where he believed he could assemble a more stable engineering team.
One of those recruits was his college classmate Way-Shing Lee, who joined Tranxform as chief technology officer last year after retiring from the US chip giant Qualcomm.
Now, startup life has replaced the stability of Huang's previous career with fundraising, recruiting, customer meetings, and constant technical problem-solving.
"Starting a company is very hard," Huang said. "You have to find business partners. You have to sell your story. You have to find funding."
Huang said Tranxform is preparing for its next fundraising round, declining to disclose details.
The company is still in the early stages of licensing and generates little revenue, he said.
前一天下午去機場接到哈哈,前一晚我們三個住旅館,嘻嘻還在自己公寓。這次特別定了跟機場和學校都不到十分鐘的旅館Best Western Pony Soldier Inn - Airport, 9901 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97220, 離嘻嘻的公寓也不到20分鐘,而且不需要上highway就能全部搞定。機場附近的旅館很多每晚需要停車費,但這間不需要,物美價廉又乾净,服務人員非常親切,附近店家也不少,我們修車買東西都走路就到,我真的訂得很棒啊!
此外,University of Oregon Prevention Science Institute(俄勒岡大學預防科學研究所)——一個專注於兒童心理健康研究的重要機構——也將遷入這座新大樓,進一步整合教學、研究與社區服務資源。)
到的時候禮堂門還沒開,先幫弟弟照相
畢業生們在一間休息室,可以即時看到會場。這是嘻嘻傳來的照片
我們坐在第二排中間,很棒的位子
從Minnesota遠道而來的攝影師
前一個禮拜從台灣飛回來的搬家司機
只有17個畢業生, 嘻嘻得了Magna Cum Laude Honor, 他overall GPA3.8, 後兩年是4,很不錯,讀得快樂也有自信
從學校的網頁看到的:
The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health was established in 2022 to improve the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents in Oregon. The Institute brings together faculty from education, psychology, and clinical practice to prepare the next generation of child behavioral health professionals. Its establishment was made possible through a major philanthropic gift from Connie and Steve Ballmer through Ballmer Group Philanthropy.
The Ballmer Institute offers the nation's first bachelor's degree in Child Behavioral Health, with the goal of preparing more professionals to meet the growing mental health needs of today's children and adolescents.
Before graduation, students complete more than 700 hours of supervised field experience in K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, and community agencies throughout the Portland area, gaining valuable hands-on experience.
The curriculum is built on evidence-based practices and prepares students to promote children's and adolescents' mental well-being, prevent mental health problems, and provide early intervention. Graduates are well equipped to serve on the front lines of child behavioral health.
**巴爾默兒童行為健康學院(Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health)**成立於2022年,致力於提升美國俄勒岡州兒童與青少年的心理健康與福祉。學院結合教育、心理學與臨床實務等不同領域的師資,培養新一代兒童心理健康專業人才。學院的成立,來自康妮.巴爾默(Connie Ballmer)與史蒂夫.巴爾默(Steve Ballmer)透過巴爾默集團慈善基金會(Ballmer Group Philanthropy)的重大捐贈。