Polaris raises $50M to push its optical chips into AI data centres
What's the deal? Polaris Electro-OpticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $50 million in a Series B round led by Walden Catalyst VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The Carlsbad, California company will use the money to move its FenGlass electro-optic modulator platform from a proven device into large-scale commercial production.
Who's in? New investors Socratic PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Cambium CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, KnollwoodDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Hudson River TradingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → joined, alongside existing backers Koch Disruptive TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, M VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Rhapsody Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Buff Gold VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Blue Sky CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Andy Kau, a partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, joins the board.
What's the endgame? As AI workloads grow, moving data has become a bottleneck in AI infrastructure — networks are bandwidth-constrained and energy use per bit is climbing. Polaris says its platform hits 400 gigabits per second per lane at sub-volt drive voltages, integrated directly onto finished silicon photonic wafers using standard processes.
Why now? The next generation of optical interconnects requires 400Gbps per lane and beyond. Polaris says it has demonstrated and independently verified that rate, completed Telcordia reliability tests, and validated compatibility with standard solder reflow.
The pitch: "The industry doesn't have a speed problem or a manufacturing problem, it has both at the same time, and every existing platform solves only one," said chief executive officer Morten Nissov. Kau said what convinced Walden Catalyst was that FenGlass "goes onto a finished silicon photonics wafer using processes a contract manufacturer already runs."
Where's the money going? Proceeds fund portfolio expansion, volume scale-up, product tapeouts, and qualification. Polaris is partnering with optical module makers, hyperscalers, and cloud infrastructure providers, with its first product launch targeted for 2027.
The signal: At $50 million, the round sits in the top 10% of all US Series B rounds ever raised in semiconductors — a sign of how much capital is chasing the hardware bottlenecks behind the AI build-out.
Read more: uk.finance.yahoo.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
