Nicolas Sauvage’s TDK Ventures is deploying $500 million across four funds to back AI infrastructure startups, including chipmaker Groq, as the corporate venture arm of Japan’s TDK looks for the next major technology shift. [1]
Sauvage founded TDK Ventures in 2019 to hunt for the “next big thing” that could enable or disrupt TDK’s business, even though the parent company is best known for magnetic tape. [1] At a StrictlyVC event in San Francisco last week, he said his view is that it takes about four years for the best AI infrastructure bets to become clearly valuable. [1]
One of TDK Ventures’ notable investments is Groq, the AI chip startup founded by Jonathan Ross, who previously worked on Google’s TPUs. Groq raised its latest round in fall 2025 and was valued at $6.9 billion. [1]
Sauvage, who is French, said he does not speak Japanese and does not live in Tokyo. He joined TDK through an acquisition in Silicon Valley, and he described the company as one where every part must fit together: “you can’t remove one part and have it still work.” [1]
TDK Ventures continues to scout startups that can support or reshape the electronics group’s future, with its four funds giving it $500 million to invest in the sector. [1]
