Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs) have recently emerged as an attractive target for cancer therapy. Herein, we prepared a series of compounds derived from dichloroacetate (DCA) which inhibited cancer cells proliferation. For the first time, we have successfully developed DCA derived inhibitors that preferentially bind to the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) pocket of PDK isoform 1 (PDK1).