French startup Ncodin raises €16M to tackle AI’s copper wall

Paris-based startup Ncodin has secured 16 million euros in an oversubscribed seed round to industrialize its photonic interposer platform, built around what it claims is the world’s smallest on-silicon laser. The technology targets one of AI’s main scaling challenges: the copper interconnects limiting bandwidth and energy efficiency in next-generation processors.

“Our technology unlocks wafer-scale superchips by providing the most energy-efficient interconnects for networking across tens of chiplets – an essential component in the architectures everyone is chasing. As new generations of GPUs and AI accelerators emerge to keep pace with rapidly evolving GenAI algorithms, Ncodin is laying the photonic foundation that makes them possible,” said Francesco Manegatti, CEO and co-founder of Ncodin.

Integrating a laser directly into silicon, eliminating the need for an external light source, is considered to be a holy grail in silicon photonics. But unlike compound semiconductors such as indium phosphide or gallium arsenide, silicon is an indirect bandgap material, which means it is inherently inefficient at emitting light. This makes it difficult to build a silicon-based laser that is both compact and energy-efficient.

Ncodin hasn’t revealed how it manages to squeeze light from silicon. The firm’s flagship product, NConnect, integrates dense nanolaser arrays directly onto silicon to overcome the dreaded ‘copper wall’. This enables optical interconnects across chiplets with record energy efficiency, allowing for scalable AI architectures with supercomputer-class performance packed into a single package.

The French deep-tech startup, a 2023 CNRS spin-off, has built a cleanroom for rapid prototyping and attracted top advisors from companies such as ARM, Intel and Luxtera. With the funding, Ncodin will scale production toward 300 mm CMOS compatibility, expand its team, establish a Silicon Valley presence and develop manufacturing partnerships.

The latest funding round was led by MIG Capital and supported by Maverick Silicon, Photonventures, Verve Ventures as well as existing investors Elaia, Earlybird and OVNI.