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Which AI chip startups are most cited in research?

By Nathan Benaich (Air Street Capital)

2026 estimates · inputs through September 1

Groq and Cerebras lead the six companies tracked in the startup chart, with projected 2026 citation counts of 264 and 242, respectively.

How to read this finding

The 2026 estimates combine counts through September 1 with projections for the second half of the year. The comparison covers these six tracked companies, not every NVIDIA competitor, and measures research-paper citations rather than commercial adoption.

Charts and sources

  1. Startup usage chart
  2. Zeta Alpha and methodology

Citation estimates use inputs through September 1, 2026; fleet counts have an October 1, 2026 cutoff. The research-topic sample covers January 1 to June 1, 2025. See each answer for its period and limitations.

All data sources

Cite this page

Benaich, Nathan. “Which AI chip startups are most cited in research?” State of AI Report Compute Index. Web page updated 2026-10-11; data periods as specified above.

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