Cambridge United unveils SiFive as first team kit sponsor
Cambridge United has announced that California-based founder and leader of RISC-V computing, SiFive, has become the first team training wear sponsor for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 season.
The Silicon Valley-based tech company, which is valued at $2.5bn, has agreed a two-year partnership with the football club.
The partnership with Cambridge United is part of a wider strategy to establish roots within the city, engage with the local community and recruit the best local engineering and computing design talent: SiFive last month opened its first UK office at WeWork on Station Road.
The Cambridge United deal will see the SiFive logo on all first team training wear and first team/management matchday ranges for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Neil Rowe, Cambridge United’s head of commercial, said: “I am delighted to announce this exciting new partnership with SiFive. This landmark partnership is another statement of progress at the club, both on and off the pitch.
“The partnership is a testament to the reputation the club has built over the past decade as a platform to help businesses engage with the local community. We look forward to helping the US based firm build a brand in our incredible city.”
“SiFive is excited to partner with Cambridge United as we rapidly grow our local presence,” Jack Kang, senior vice president of SiFive, added: “Cambridge is a tight-knit community with a long history of innovation and making a positive difference in the world that is very much aligned with SiFive’s vision and CUFC is an ideal way for us to support and meet the community both on and off the pitch.”
SiFive is a fast growing global semiconductor leader with a vision to change the way the chips that power our daily devices, from cell phones, to computers and cars, are made.
The SiFive Founders invented RISC-V, an open standard ecosystem, today taught in the world’s most prestigious universities and used by the top semiconductor companies around the world. SiFive products are a kind of electronic blueprint which allow SiFive customers to make high performance, low power products more quickly and economically.
The decision to set up shop in Cambridge is also a dream for one of SiFive’s founders, Krste Asanović. Speaking exclusively to the Cambridge Independent, Jack Kang said: “Our co-founder, Krste, went to school here in Cambridge so we always had a connection.”
Indeed, Krste acquired a first class BA degree in electrical and information sciences tripos in 1987. While at the University of California in Berkeley in 2010 he developed RISC-V (pronounced ‘risk-five’), and formed SiFive with Berkeley colleagues Yunsup Lee, and Andrew Waterman in 2015. Today the company employs 750 people and has offices across the US and in Taiwan, China, Japan, France and India.
“SiFive is really eager to get on and is a fun place to work,” says Andy Frame, who previously held senior roles at Arm for 14 years, and heads SiFive’s Cambridge R&D centre as senior director, product. “It’s like a big family, which is nice. There’s a genuine desire to change things.”
“We’re delighted to have made a 100 per cent winning start to the season!” added Jack Kang of the U’s wins over MK Dons on July 30, and the 1-0 defeat of Millwall in the league cup this week. “And we love all the work the club does to support the local community too.”
