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Or sign-in if you have an account.As Big Tech continues to build large-scale data centres to train and run AI systems, their facilities could require tens or thousands of chip timing devices to keep their servers running. Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty ImagesMany promising companies solving critical problems for advanced semiconductor technology have started up in Canada only to move to the United States or be bought by American companies, but Montreal startup Stathera Inc. wants to change that.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe company, which makes semiconductor timing technology it hopes to sell to U.S. chipmakers such as Nvidia Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) and Marvell Technology Inc., raised US$55 million in an oversubscribed Series B round last month, largely from U.S. and Taiwanese investors like Maverick Silicon, Celesta Global Capital Managers LLC and the venture arm of MediaTek Inc.The sole Canadian investor was the Business Development Bank of Canada.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againFounder and chief executive George Xereas said his company has received acquisition offers from U.S. companies and proposals from American investors to move south.“But as long as I’m around, we are 100 per cent going to stay in Canada,” he said.Xereas said he understands Canadian founders who move their companies to the U.S. since they face difficulties in securing later-stage fundraising and executive talent at home.“If you can’t find the right talent or investors in Canada, you should go ahead and go get the talent or the investors wherever they are,” he said.Stathera received term sheets from Canadian investors, but Xereas said U.S. investors were much more aggressive in terms of the capital they were willing to put up and the ambitions they saw for how far the company could go.He said he is confident Stathera can grow from Canada and sell to the U.S. market to take advantage of the artificial intelligence buildout that is on track to reach US$1 trillion, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates.Others have not been so confident. For example, Toronto-founded Tenstorrent Inc., which makes advanced chips for AI, relocated to the U.S. in 2023 as part of a US$100-million fundraise, and CentML Inc. and Untether AI Corp. were scooped up last year by Nvidia and AMD, respectively.As Big Tech continues to build large-scale data centres to train and run AI systems, Xereas said these facilities could require tens or thousands of chip timing devices to keep their servers running. He also said Stathera has and is now testing its technology for data centres after validating it for consumer devices.Xereas said his company’s manufacturing supply chain, which spans Canada and Asia, currently makes sense and it is planning for tariff-related contingencies. The core component of its tech — the microelectromechanical system known as MEMS — is made in Canada with a domestic partner, while the other electronic parts, alongside assembly, packaging and testing, are done in Asian countries such as Taiwan.“We are comfortable with the supply chain we have,” he said.At the same time, the company is looking at sourcing alternative vendors in case the U.S. slaps tariffs on the countries it has partnered with.In the coming months, Stathera will continue to expand its manufacturing and grow its footprint in Silicon Valley to be closer to potential big-name customers.“I don’t see this as Canada versus the U.S.,” he said. “But it just makes sense that we have an engineering team there that can talk to the customers, understand their pain points and drive innovation from there.”Xereas said the startup journey is “more painful” in Canada.“You need to develop the talent, you need to persevere and you have to have a lot of patience so that you can do this,” he said. “In my case, I have a long-term vision for the company, and I have the patience and belief to do this.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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