Observed Signal · Nov 17, 2025 · Funding · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI Optical Switch Startup iPronics Raises $125M Round With Nvidia
Spanish photonic networking startup iPronics has announced a $125 million Series B round led by Maverick Silicon and Light Street Capital, with Nvidia participating. The company, founded in 2019 as a spin-off of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, develops optical circuit switches for AI data centers. Its iPronics ONE product, including the ONE-32 32-port switch, routes data paths optically, reducing latency and power consumption compared with electrical switching. Total funding now stands at $177 million. iPronics plans to use the capital to shrink its hardware by roughly 20x, expand operations, and accelerate commercialization. The company has also opened an office in Santa Clara and established a packaging and assembly line with contract manufacturer Fabrinet. Investors highlight the growing need for resilient, scalable network infrastructure for large-scale AI clusters.
A $125M Series B led by US investors with Nvidia participation underscores the shift to optical interconnect for AI data centers and highlights the reliance of European deep-tech scale-ups on US/UK capital.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- iPronics announced a $125 million Series B round led by Maverick Silicon and Light Street Capital, with Nvidia participating; total funding reached $177 million.
- iPronics develops optical circuit switches for AI data centers; its ONE-32 switch has under 30 nanoseconds latency and reconfiguration time below 300 microseconds.
- The company was founded in 2019 as a spin-off of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
- iPronics opened an office in Santa Clara and set up a packaging and assembly line with contract manufacturer Fabrinet.
- The company claims the optical switching approach can reduce switching power consumption by up to 50%.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“Nvidia participated in iPronics' Series B round and is developing its own photonic switches....”
“iPronics set up a packaging and assembly line for the next OCS generation with contract manufacturer Fabrinet....”
“Young Sohn was Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer at Samsung....”
“Additional investors include Triatomic Capital, Bosch Ventures, Catalight Capital, the European Innovation Council Fund, Fine Structure Vent...”
“Young Sohn sits on the boards of Arm and Cadence Design Systems....”
“The technology became known through Google, which uses such switches in its TPU clusters....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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