Hillsboro chip startup Mueon raises $65 million for AI computing

Mueon Corp., a Hillsboro chip startup founded by a former Intel scientist, has raised $65 million to build modular components that speed up data processing inside data centers.

The funding round, first reported by The Oregonian's Mike Rogoway, was led by Maverick Silicon, a semiconductor-focused arm of Maverick Capital launched in 2024. The Oregon Venture Fund also participated. The round brings Mueon's total investment past $80 million.

Founder and CEO Wilfred Gomes spent nearly three decades at Intel as a fellow in microprocessor design. Gomes holds more than 250 patents. He co-invented Intel's Foveros 3D chip-stacking platform, according to a 2025 interview with SemiWiki. He launched Mueon last year.

The company is building what it calls Cubelets, a modular architecture that bundles computing power, memory, power delivery and thermal management into a single stackable unit. Mueon says the units replace the standard rack-based layout used in most data centers, delivering gains in density, energy efficiency and deployment speed.

Intel Capital led a separate $15 million investment in Mueon last year. Srini Ananth, managing director at Intel Capital, said the company "is continuing to reimagine data-center design at the fundamental level."

Mueon employs 50 people in Hillsboro and plans to add 10 more employees in the coming months.

The startup joins a growing cluster of semiconductor companies in the Portland area, many staffed by former Intel employees. Hillsboro-based AheadComputing raised $30 million in January. Beaverton's ChEmpower and Camas-based PowerLattice are also part of the wave. Oregon startups raised nearly $950 million in 2025, according to data from the National Venture Capital Association and PitchBook cited by The Oregonian.

The new funding arrives as Hillsboro grapples with the infrastructure demands of the AI boom. As we reported Oct. 14, Gov. Tina Kotek froze new data center permits statewide, adding to limits already in place locally. Mueon's pitch is that its architecture can cut energy use while boosting performance. That speaks directly to the tension around data center growth.

Mueon has not announced a timeline for bringing Cubelets to market.