The race to advance AI infrastructure and next-generation communications just took a big leap. Grenoble-based Scintil Photonics, a pioneer in heterogeneous integrated photonics, landed $58 million (€50 million) in Series B funding to speed up its tech development and reach more of the world.
Some high-profile investors—Yotta Capital Partners, NGP Capital, NVIDIA, and BNP Paribas Développement—are backing the company. They’re gearing up to ramp production of their single-chip DWDM light engine, an innovation that’s shaping the future of high-speed, energy-efficient AI data centers.
This marks a pretty major milestone in co-packaged optical solutions. Meanwhile, Lithuanian startup Astrolight is pushing forward with space-based laser communications.
Breaking New Ground in Photonic Integration
Scintil Photonics brings together multi-wavelength lasers and silicon photonics on one platform. This approach boosts co-packaged optics, which are set to become the backbone of next-gen AI data centers as they ditch slower copper interconnects.
The SHIP™ Platform and Its Impact
The SHIP™ platform—as CEO Matt Crowley explains—offers better scalability, power efficiency, and integration density. These improvements don’t just boost performance; they help cut operating costs and shrink the carbon footprint of AI infrastructure.
With data processing demands exploding, these sustainability gains can’t be ignored.
Production Scaling with LEAF Light™
Scintil, working with customers, developed the LEAF Light™ circuit, a key external laser source for co-packaged optics systems. Now it’s moving into high-volume production, shifting from R&D into real-world deployment in advanced network architectures.
The Role of Precisely Spaced DFB Lasers
CTO Sylvie Menezo points out that integrating precisely spaced distributed feedback (DFB) lasers onto silicon photonic circuits is crucial for future AI data center performance. This precision lets them pull off efficient dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), which cranks up data throughput over optical fibers.
Investor Confidence in a Growing Market
Yotta Capital and NGP Capital both believe Scintil’s work is essential for the future of AI infrastructure. With integrated photonics gaining steam around the world, investors seem pretty optimistic about the global scalability of Scintil’s solutions.
A $25 Billion Market Opportunity
Alan Weckel, an analyst at 650 Group, predicts that the network scaling market’s shift from copper to optical could top $25 billion by 2029. Scintil’s DWDM light engines look well-positioned to grab a significant chunk of that market.
Innovation at the Heart of Grenoble
Scintil’s home in Grenoble puts it right in the middle of an innovation-rich ecosystem. It’s close to research powerhouse CEA-Leti and some of the top semiconductor firms.
This setting encourages collaboration, speeds up development, and gives the company a real competitive edge.
Parallel Advances in Space-Based Communications
On another front, Lithuanian startup Astrolight just raised €2.8 million in seed funding to build its laser-based space communication platform. They’re aiming to create Europe’s optical backbone for satellite-to-Earth data transmission—one more example of how optical tech is set to change global connectivity.
Key Takeaways for the Optical Future
The intersection of AI, photonics, and global communication infrastructure is heading into a wild new chapter. Innovations like Scintil’s integrated DWDM light engines are making some big things possible:
- Higher data throughput with lower energy use.
- Scalability that keeps up with the wild pace of AI data centers.
- Reduced environmental impact thanks to smarter, energy-efficient design.
- Broader global reach fueled by advanced manufacturing and deployment.
Space communication projects—think Astrolight—are pushing for fast, secure, and high-capacity data from orbit to Earth. That’s not sci-fi anymore; it’s actually happening.
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Here is the source article for this story: Scintil Photonics raises $58 million to scale its tech for AI factories…