NATO-backed startup Ephos raises $8.5 million to develop glass-based photonic chips

Startup Ephos, which developed glass-based photonic chips, raised $8.5 million in an initial round of funding, writes Data Center Dynamics. The startup reported that the funds received have already made it possible to accelerate the launch of a research and production center in the innovative scientific cluster MIND (Milano Innovation District) in Milan (Italy), and will also be used to support and expand the team in San Francisco (USA).

The seed round was led by US venture capital firm Starlight Ventures, with participation from Collaborative Fund, Exor Ventures, 2100 Ventures and Unruly Capital, as well as angel investors Joe Zadeh (former vice president of Airbnb) and Diego Piacentini (former senior vice president). president of Amazon).

Image source: Ephos

Unlike traditional chip manufacturing, which uses silicon-based technologies, Ephos creates photonic chips on a glass substrate, which reduces signal loss, one of the biggest obstacles to creating quantum systems. This is due to the fact that in quantum systems based on photonics, information cannot be duplicated or copied, so if the signal loss exceeds a certain level, it cannot be restored.

Photonic technologies have a wide range of applications beyond quantum computing, including in data centers, where photonic chips are increasingly being used to reduce rapidly growing power consumption.

It is also reported that Ephos separately received funding in the amount of €450 thousand from the European Innovation Council and the NATO organization Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA). The interest of these organizations in Ephos is explained by the fact that the company independently produces chips and its supply chain relies exclusively on companies from the US and EU. By enabling the development of critical quantum infrastructure within NATO’s emerging technology ecosystem, Ephos helps maintain strategic independence in quantum technologies, a vital area for the alliance’s future defense and communications.