It was Farhat Jahangir they were talking to, the Founder and CEO of San Jose-headquartered GSME (Global Semiconductor Microelectronics):
“GSME provides comprehensive services for the design, engineering, and manufacturing of custom microelectronic solutions. We are also able to provide custom designs to meet your specific requirements.”
Found the photo in a better resolution:
www.gsaglobal.org
View attachment 91788
And here’s another picture from a different perspective:
View attachment 91789
At GSME, we've established a reputation as the leading service provider in IC design and… · Experience: GSME · Education: University of Arkansas · Location: United States · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Farhat Jahangir’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.
www.linkedin.com
View attachment 91786
View attachment 91787
Learn about GSME’s mission to deliver cutting-edge microelectronics through custom IC design, semiconductor innovation, and trusted industry partnerships.
www.gsme.com
View attachment 91790
View attachment 91791
View attachment 91792
I noted that GSME, while headquartered in Silicon Valley, also have a “Design Center” in Oman. Mmmh, interesting! Which of course made me wonder whether they could possibly be connected to Muscat-based Onsor Technologies and be involved in the chip design and/or manufacturing of the NEXA epileptic seizure-predicting smart glasses powered by Akida?
And so I dug a little deeper… Bingo!
Turns out that two of the six Directors on the Board of GSME are from Oman, and one of them is a familiar face: Ameer Al-Alawi, Director at Ithca Group.
And as we know, Onsor Technologies is a subsidiary of said Ithca Group.
Meet GSME’s Board of Directors—industry leaders and innovators guiding our mission in semiconductor technology, microelectronics, and strategic growth.
www.gsme.com
View attachment 91793
It turns out further that in late 2023 and early 2024, the Ithca Group invested a total of US$ 8 million into GSME, and now holds a 34.25% stake in the US semiconductor company!
Not only did GSME establish their Oman Design Center in Muscat in 2023, but they also launched the Oman-1 and Oman-2 chips in 2024.
View attachment 91795
View attachment 91796
It doesn’t come as a surprise, then, that Farhat Jahangir has also known the Onsor team for quite some time, as is evident from the following LinkedIn comment of his, congratulating them on a March 2023 announcement:
🎉 Big news! 🎉 We're excited to announce our new partnership with zSpace, a leader in AR/VR technology. Together, we're taking our innovation to the next level and breaking new ground in the field of 3D technology. As part of this partnership, we're proud to unveil our latest product with 3D...
www.linkedin.com
So all this dot-joining suggests to me that GSME is highly likely involved in the development of NEXA, and that Farhat Jahangir wasn’t some random GSA Executive Forum attendee just doing polite smalltalk with our CEO and VP of Sales and Business Development, hearing about BrainChip’s offerings for the first time…