Swedish deeptech company Solinide Photonics has raised €4 million in Seed funding. The company will use the money to bring its silicon nitride photonic chip technology to market and prepare for large-scale manufacturing.
The funding round was co-led by Navigare Ventures and PSV Hafnium. Other investors in the round include Chalmers Ventures, Turbine Capital, Norrsken Evolve and Almi Greentech Fund.
Solinide Photonics was created as a spin-out from Chalmers University of Technology. The company develops photonic chips and microcomb technology that can help move large amounts of data between chips in AI data centres without significantly increasing power use.
As AI systems become larger, data centres need faster connections between processors and other computing equipment. Traditional optical systems often use several separate lasers to send data, which can increase energy use, cost and the amount of physical space required.
Solinide’s technology offers a different approach. Its single chip can produce dozens of precise light wavelengths at the same time, replacing the need for multiple laser sources. This allows more data to travel through each optical fibre while potentially reducing energy use, costs and equipment size.
Solinide’s technology combines photonics, semiconductor technology, AI infrastructure and energy efficiency. The company sees potential applications in AI data centres, telecommunications and other industries that need to move large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.
Solinide says its microcomb technology has already shown that it can meet the performance needs of data centre connections. The technology has also been integrated into a rack-mounted system, showing progress toward practical use.
The company is now working to make the technology ready for commercial use and move toward real-world deployment in data centres.
“Solinide has demonstrated that its microcomb technology can achieve the performance required for datacentre links and deliver an integrated rack-mounted product. A key priority now is preparing for commercial readiness, launch and real-world deployment with the aim of sharing product news very shortly,” said Marcello Girardo, CEO of Solinide Photonics.
The new funding will help Solinide grow its engineering and sales teams. It will also allow the company to improve its in-house prototyping and prepare its technology for large-scale manufacturing in Europe.
Solinide also plans to work more closely with industry partners as it prepares to bring its technology to the market and increase its adoption.
