Gelsinger‑backed PicoJool raises $27.5M for AI cluster links
PicoJool raised $27.5 million in a Series A led by Socratic Partners to build laser-based interconnects the startup says can move data between AI accelerators at up to 3.2 terabits per second.
PicoJool raised $27.5 million in a Series A round led by Socratic Partners, with Hudson River Trading also investing, SiliconANGLE reported. The round brings the company's total funding to $39.5 million, following a $12 million seed backed by former Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger's Playground Global.
The startup makes optical chips built on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, which move data over light rather than copper wiring. PicoJool said its platform can reach 3.2 terabits per second of bandwidth, aimed at the connections between processors inside large AI clusters.
The company sells VCSEL products at 100G and 200G, plus lower-power MicroVCSEL versions at 50G and 64G, according to SiliconANGLE. PicoJool said the lower-power line is meant to cut the energy cost of moving data around AI clusters, a cost that grows with cluster size.
Gelsinger, who backs the company through Playground Global, said connectivity is becoming one of the defining constraints on AI performance. No other outlet has reported on the round yet.