Malaysia, 9 June 2026: GreatAsic Technology Sdn. Bhd. (GreatAsic), a Malaysia-based fabless custom chip design company, has raised US$6.9 million in a Pre-Series A round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, with participation from Ehsan Kapital and Gobi Partners.
GreatAsic designs custom ASICs and AI System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms for the data center, Edge AI and automotive markets. Its emergence marks a shift for Malaysia, long a hub for semiconductor package assembly and testing, towards front-end chip design. The company is among the first Malaysian design firms to access Arm Holdings’ semiconductor IP, having secured both Arm Flexible Access (AFA) and Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystems (CSS) tokens, with the AFA agreement already formalised with Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
The investment will fund engineering hires, expand operations and accelerate development of GreatAsic’s planned silicon projects.
Commenting on the fundraise, Ong Chin Hu, Founder and CEO of GreatAsic, said, “Malaysia has world-class engineering talent and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to design, not just build, the chips that power the AI era. This funding lets us hire engineers, expand operations and accelerate our planned ASIC projects, and build a Malaysian semiconductor design ecosystem that endures.”
Chan Yip Pang, Executive Director, Investment, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, said, “We have known this team for several years, and on the strength of their track record in past roles at companies such as StarFive, Intel, Marvell and Broadcom, we believe they are the best positioned in Malaysia to design and deliver an AI SoC. For decades the country has assembled and tested the world’s semiconductors; designing them is a far harder and more valuable undertaking, and few teams in the region are equipped to take it on. We are proud to back GreatAsic and to support the homegrown design capability the National Semiconductor Strategy was created to foster.”
Yong Kai Ping, Chief Executive Officer of Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC), said, “GreatAsic’s landmark achievement reflects the high-caliber innovation that the Malaysia Semiconductor IC Design Park was built to cultivate. By providing world-class infrastructure, EDA tools, and public-private support, the Park is positioning Malaysia as a vital node in the global semiconductor supply chain. The participation of the Ehsan Kapital alongside leading regional venture capitalists demonstrates how we are successfully pairing ecosystem development with global growth capital to scale competitive semiconductor design houses.
Southeast Asia’s semiconductor industry has long centred on manufacturing and packaging. As demand for custom AI chips grows across data centers, automotive and edge applications, design-led companies in markets with deep engineering talent and clear policy support have a rare opening. GreatAsic’s leadership brings decades of silicon experience across Altera, Broadcom, Intel, Marvell and StarFive, with multiple full-mask tape-outs and high-volume production behind them. Founder and CEO Ong Chin Hu held senior leadership roles at Intel, Marvell and StarFive, while Co-Founder and CTO Michael Liew Woon Chin was previously holding Senior Technical Leadership roles in Broadcom, Intel, Marvell and StarFive.
About Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India
Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India is a leading early-stage venture capital firm focused on partnering with high-growth startups across Southeast Asia and India. With a strong network and strategic expertise, they have invested in successful companies such as Grab, FirstCry, Nium, Licious, Kissht, Kuku FM, Abacus Digital, RPG Commerce and Patsnap, driving innovation and scaling businesses across various sectors.
Website: https://www.vertexventures.sg
About Ehsan Kapital
Ehsan Kapital PLT is the manager of Ehsan Semiconductor Fund L.P., a semiconductor-focused investment fund established through a collaboration involving PNSB Innovation Ventures Sdn. Bhd. (venture capital arm of Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB), (https://pnsb.com.my/) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Selangor State Government), SIDEC Sdn. Bhd. (https://www.sidec.com.my/) (Selangor’s digital economy agency and the operator of the Malaysia Semiconductor IC Design Park, a key initiative supporting Malaysia’s semiconductor design ecosystem) and Artem Ventures Sdn. Bhd (https://artem.vc/). The Fund invests in high-growth semiconductor and deep technology companies supporting the development of Malaysia’s IC design ecosystem.
About Gobi Partners
Founded in 2002, Gobi Partners is a leading pan-Asian investment firm managing US$2 billion across more than 30 funds for family offices, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, and corporate investors. Headquartered in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, Gobi’s team of over 90 professionals operates from 18 locations and has invested in more than 400 companies, achieving 75 exits to date. The firm specialises in early to growth-stage investments, backing technology-driven businesses that address structural and demographic shifts across Asia, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, inclusion, and the commercialisation of breakthrough technologies.
Website: https://gobi.vc/