Cognichip Brings on Systems Intelligence Expert Professor Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani as Scientific Advisor

Today, Cognichip, the company behind Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI®), announced the appointment of Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani, Ph.D., to its AI Science Advisory team. A globally respected researcher in control theory and decision-making under uncertainty, Professor Mohajerin Esfahani brings a systems-first perspective to Cognichip’s efforts to build AI-native design workflows for semiconductors.

Scaling Smarter: Intelligence That Learns Across Complexity
Peyman is an associate professor at both the University of Toronto and TU Delft, Netherlands. He also co-directs the Delft-AI Energy Lab, where his research explores how intelligent systems can operate and adapt in highly dynamic environments. His expertise spans control theory, optimization, machine learning, and information theory, with real-world applications ranging from autonomous systems to energy grid infrastructure.

He has received multiple honors for his contributions, including the George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Award from the IEEE Control Systems Society, the European Control Award, and the INFORMS Frederick W. Lanchester Prize. His research has advanced how uncertainty is modeled and managed in complex systems, an essential component for building resilient, real-time AI systems like ACI®.

“Peyman’s research has advanced how we approach intelligence in systems that must operate reliably in uncertain environments,” said Faraj Aalaei, CEO and founder of Cognichip. “Peyman’s expertise will help us make sure ACI® can handle real-world challenges and give teams the confidence to trust it in the design process.”

Cognichip is pursuing a compute-focused approach to semiconductor design, based on a physics-informed foundation model that dramatically reduces cost and development time. Peyman’s guidance will help shape how Cognichip’s AI responds to noisy, evolving constraints in chip development and how it adapts its optimization strategies to design better-performing hardware faster.

“Chip design is only getting more complex, and the old approaches just aren’t cutting it anymore,” said Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani, Ph.D. “What Cognichip’s building is the right answer for the pains this industry has long endured by building smarter, more adaptive workflows that bring real value to anyone from individual innovators and enthusiasts to large enterprise teams. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be involved in what they’re building and where they’re heading.”

To learn more about Cognichip or to join their mission, visit www.cognichip.ai.

About Cognichip
Cognichip is developing the world’s first Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI®) to reimagine chip design. Founded by experts from Amazon, Google, Apple, Aquantia, Synopsys, and KLA, the company tackles high cost and inaccessibility in chip development, enabling hardware to evolve as quickly as software innovation.

Backed by $33 million in seed funding from Mayfield, Lux Capital, FPV, and Candou Ventures, Cognichip’s ACI® reduces design cycles by 50%, cuts development costs by 75%, and optimizes power, performance, and efficiency. ACI® accelerates innovation and broadens access to semiconductor technology by making it easier, more affordable, and accessible to a broader range of innovators. Learn more at www.cognichip.ai.

Contact Information

Rick Liebling

Vice President

VSC on behalf of Cognichip

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