In the era of digitization, software development plays a crucial role in ensuring consistent growth. It brings greater productivity and efficiency to businesses with minimal effort input. As an entrepreneur, employing a top-notch development team enables you to automate operations and foster business expansion.
Learn more about the history of MulticoreWare Inc as we delve into a conversation with AGK Karunakaran, President, and CEO.
Tell us about MulticoreWare Inc and what motivated you to establish the company.
Our journey with MulticoreWare Inc began in 2009. At that time, processor performance was measured by the number of cores rather than the clock frequency. However, there was a gap in software development for these multicore and heterogeneous processing architectures when multicore processors first emerged. Our clients faced challenges in effectively utilizing multi-core, multi-architecture systems, especially with the introduction and increasing popularity of GPUs.
To address this, we gathered some of the brightest parallel programmers and researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to establish a company that provides software and middleware solutions for this market.
What are the products and services that the company focuses on? How do they differ from others in the market?
MulticoreWare Inc is a software development company that offers cutting-edge products and services for multicore and multi-threaded CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, FPGAs, and various AI hardware accelerators. If your code is intended for a multi-core, heterogeneous platform, you want us on your team.
Currently, we rank among the top service providers in areas such as HEVC video compression, machine learning, and software performance improvement. Our customer base spans various verticals, including media and broadcasting, security, smart cities, robotics, retail, sports analytics, AR/VR, automotive and transportation, and more. We have clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific. We were recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America on the Inc. 5000 list for 2014.
Moreover, we have been expanding our offerings in areas such as Compilers (HPC, Heterogeneous Computing), HW Profiler Tools, Video Codec Products (HEVC, VVC), Computer Vision Products and Solutions, Machine Learning Products and Solutions (Convolutional Neural Networks), as well as various Sensor Perception and Inference Stacks for Edge and ADAS Applications.
MulticoreWare Inc specializes in high-performance machine learning, AI analytics solutions, processing sensor data from autonomous vehicles, and autonomous embedded software for various applications.
MulticoreWare Inc is a global leader in professional-grade video software technology, providing cost-efficient storage and transfer of multimedia content. We are leading the development of the open-source Versatile Video Coding (VVC) product, the Next-Gen Video Technology, through the x266™ consortium. Additionally, our x265™ open-source stack is considered the gold standard in High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) with leading broadcasting partners worldwide. The Ultraziq™ library, built on top of the x264™ (AVC) and x265™ (HEVC) encoder libraries, aims to deliver better video quality and turnaround time for OTT and live streaming use cases.
Furthermore, MulticoreWare Inc has developed crucial IP in various areas of Human Behavior AI, including Face Recognition, Pose Estimation, and Action Intelligence. We also serve a broad range of customers with AI/ML/DL algorithms and analytic solutions optimized for cloud or edge computing implementations in different programming languages and frameworks.
Can you provide an overview of your team?
From the very beginning, we were committed to building a team that encompassed both industry and academia. This approach is crucial for continuously exploring new technologies and applying them to our products and services. We value the energy, passion, and vision contributed by team members who have been with us for decades.
Even today, we maintain this mindset and engage in joint initiatives with universities through our R&D collaborations. This allows us to attract new talent and maintain a diverse staff.
Please share details about your professional experience.
Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in the transition of homogeneous and heterogeneous multi-core markets, bootstrapping start-up companies, system-level definition and design of products, engineering management, and overall business strategy. I have successfully initiated, scaled up, and managed operations in various countries.
I have also been engaged with non-governmental organizations, particularly in the field of education, focusing on creating high-quality, low-cost, and easily replicable models to address gaps in the system.
Additionally, I have been associated with TiE, Silicon Valley, serving as the President and on the board of directors. TiECON, one of the largest conferences for entrepreneurs, has had a significant impact on numerous entrepreneurs, including myself, since the early 90s.
