The big picture: iPronics, a Valencia-based company specializing in silicon photonics-based optical circuit switching for AI infrastructure, has raised €107.57 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to €152.3 million. The company aims to accelerate commercialization and meet the growing demand for its optical networking solutions. iPronics was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Universitat Politècnica de València.
Why it matters:
- Network bottlenecks: The explosive growth of AI workloads is pushing traditional data center network infrastructure to its power and bandwidth limits, creating a critical need for advanced connectivity solutions.
- Optical transition: The demands of scale-up networking in AI clusters are accelerating the transition from copper to optics, requiring a new generation of high-density switching solutions.
- GPU utilization: Efficient optical networking can significantly improve GPU utilization in AI data centers, reducing energy consumption and enabling hyperscalers to expand AI capacity more cost-effectively.
How it works:
- Silicon photonics platform: iPronics has developed a compact, purpose-built optical circuit switching (OCS) platform based on silicon photonics, designed to address the unique connectivity requirements of AI infrastructure.
- iPronics ONE: The company’s flagship product is a rack-mounted optical switch providing programmable optical connectivity within and across racks for dynamic AI infrastructure.
- Real-time reconfiguration: With integrated control, telemetry, and APIs, iPronics ONE enables real-time network reconfiguration to optimize performance, improve GPU utilization, and scale AI clusters without costly overhauls.
The catch: While optical circuit switching offers significant advantages for AI infrastructure, widespread adoption in hyperscale environments faces challenges, including integration complexity with existing network architectures and the need for new operational paradigms. The market for AI infrastructure solutions is also highly competitive, with established players and new entrants vying for market share, requiring iPronics to demonstrate clear ROI and seamless deployment.
Key Facts
- Company: iPronics
- Amount: €107.57M
- Round: Series B
- Investors: Maverick Silicon and Light Street Capital (co-lead), NVIDIA, Triatomic Capital, Bosch Ventures, Catalight Capital, European Innovation Council Fund, The Tate Family Trust, Fine Structure Ventures, Amadeus Capital Partners, Build Collective, Criteria Venture Tech
- Announced: 2026-09-01
- Sector: Optical Circuit Switching for AI Infrastructure
- Headquarters: Valencia, Spain
