DeepX lines up a domestic IPO as on-device AI chips heat up

DeepX is not talking about another private funding splash. It is moving toward public markets, which makes the Reuters report more interesting than a routine startup update. On April 14, the South Korean company said it is preparing to list its shares domestically and is open to a later U.S. listing, according to CEO Lokwon Kim.

The company is positioned around on-device AI chips rather than the giant accelerator market that dominates most AI infrastructure headlines. Reuters says DeepX works with Hyundai Motor and Baidu, which gives the story a useful signal: customers evaluating AI hardware are still interested in chips that run inference closer to the device, not only in hyperscale data center deployments.

The timing is also concrete. Kim told Reuters that DeepX plans to select banks to manage the initial public offering after finishing its ongoing funding round in the first half of this year. That means the next milestones are not vague. Investors should watch for the close of the current raise, the banks chosen for the domestic IPO, and whether a U.S. listing remains an option or becomes a fixed part of the sequence.

The larger reason this matters is that IPO preparation says something different from another private-market valuation headline. A domestic listing would test whether public investors are willing to back a company selling on-device AI silicon, and whether that thesis travels beyond the GPU-heavy narrative that has driven most AI chip coverage. Reuters' dispatch is short, but the signal is clear: DeepX thinks the window is open enough to start formal listing work now.

For readers tracking the hardware layer of AI, this is the part to monitor next: whether DeepX can turn its partnerships, funding round, and on-device positioning into a public-market story with enough momentum to justify a later U.S. debut.