PicoJool raises $27.5m Series A as its optical chips enter customer qualification
Socratic Partners led the round, with Hudson River Trading participating, for technology designed to move data through AI infrastructure more efficiently.
PicoJool develops laser chips that turn electrical data into light for short-range connections between computing equipment. Its microVCSEL approach uses many channels in parallel to carry more data while reducing energy per bit. The target customers are system builders and data-centre operators dealing with increasingly dense AI computing.
Early chip samples are already being supplied, with customer qualification and volume production still ahead. The company is working with WIN Semiconductor and other foundries on manufacturing and with system companies on future optical-link designs. Active optical cables and modules positioned close to computing chips are subsequent product steps. The financing follows a separate $12m seed round, taking total funding to $39.5m.
What the funding supports
- Expand teams and facilities in the United States and Taiwan
- Qualify optical products with customers
- Build manufacturing and commercial support capacity
PicoJool
Laser chips and optical connectivity products being developed to move data between AI processors and data-centre systems with high bandwidth and lower energy use.
Company profile and funding history