CamGraPhIC, a provider of high-bandwidth optical interconnect technology and a subsidiary of 2D Photonics, has completed a €25 million (~$27 million) series A equity funding round raised through 2D Photonics. The funds will be used to support CamGraPhIC’s continued development of graphene photonics transceivers for AI and cellular data transmission applications. 2D Photonics subsidiary CamGraPhIC will use its recent funding to fuel an expansion of its workforce and manufacturing capabilities in pursuit of commercializing its graphene-based optical interconnect technology. Courtesy of 2D Photonics. The company plans to enhance its R&D capabilities at its site in Pisa, Italy, and establish a pilot manufacturing line in Milan. The company said it is also in discussion with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy measures to support their new activities via the National Chips Fund. The planned facility in Milan will demonstrate a scalable mass production process compatible with commercial semiconductor and photonics foundries. According to CamGraPhIC, its graphene-based transceivers provide superior performance in terms of bandwidth density, latency performance, and temperature tolerance, while consuming 80% less energy than traditional pluggable data center optical transceivers and eliminating the need for complex and costly cooling systems. The technology is particularly effective for transferring large volumes of data between GPUs and high bandwidth memory, which are fundamental to generative AI and high-performance computing. Due to a simplified device architecture enabled by a unique integration of ultrahigh-quality graphene into the photonic structure, these transceivers are also more cost-effective to manufacture, the company said. Initially targeting AI GPU to high-bandwidth memory interconnects, 2D Photonics and CamGraPhIC also plan to expand into avionics, automotive advanced driver-assistance systems, and space applications, where their rugged, high-performance transceivers are poised to offer significant technical and commercial advantages over existing technologies. The funding will also be used to build out the senior team and initiate the scale-up of the technology in Milan, Italy, focusing on optimizing production for large-scale manufacturing in a semiconductor foundry environment.