Inkampani yaseValencia i-iPronics, egxile ekuthuthukisweni kwengqalasizinda ye-photonic yobuhlakani bokwenziwa, ivale umjikelezo woxhaso lwe-Series B ongama-€108 million (cishe amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-125 ngesilinganiso sokushintshaniswa kwemali samanje). Lo mjikelezo, owamenyezelwa ekuqaleni kukaSepthemba, wawuholwa ngokubambisana yizinkampani ezimbili zase-US capital capital: iMaverick Silicon kanye neLight Street Capital.
Isici esiphawuleka kakhulu salo mjikelezo wokuxhasa ngezimali ukungena kweNvidia njengomtshali-zimali oqavile , isinyathelo esiqinisa ukuzibophezela kwenkampani enkulu ye-semiconductor kumanethiwekhi optical njengengxenye ebalulekile ezikhungweni zedatha ze-AI. Kanye neNvidia, abanye abatshalizimali abasha bahlanganisa i-Triatomic Capital, i-Bosch Ventures, i-Catalight Capital, i-European Innovation Council Fund, i-Tate Family Trust, i-Fine Structure Ventures, i-Amadeus Capital Partners, kanye ne-Build Collective, ngaphezu kwe-Criteria Venture Tech, eyayivele ingumnikazi wamasheya. Ngale mali efakiwe, uxhaso lwenkampani lufinyelela ku-€153 million ($177 million).
Umjikelezo oqinisa isikhundla sikaValencia njengesikhungo sobuchwepheshe
Lesi sivumelwano simelela omunye wemijikelezo emikhulu kakhulu yokuxhaswa ngezimali ye-Series B eyake yatholwa yinkampani yezobuchwepheshe obujulile yaseYurophu futhi sibeka iValencia ebalazweni lengqalasizinda yobuhlakani bokwenziwa. I-iPronics yasungulwa ngo-2019 njenge-spin-off evela e-Polytechnic University of Valencia , umphumela wocwaningo lweminyaka engaphezu kweshumi kuma-photonics ahlelwe yiqembu le-iTEAM. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, inkampani ithuthukise ubuchwepheshe obuthatha indawo ye-static network topology ngomgogodla we-optical olawulwa yisoftware.
Okukhanga kakhulu kulo mjikelezo wokuxhaswa ngemali kusekutshalweni kwezimali okubangelwa yiwo. I-Triatomic Capital ixhunyaniswe noJeff Huber , owayeyiphini likamongameli omkhulu we-Google; I-Build Collective iholwa nguTony Fadell , omunye wabadali be-iPod kanye nesizukulwane sokuqala se-iPhone; kanti i-Amadeus Capital Partners yasungulwa ngokubambisana nguHermann Hauser, umuntu obalulekile ekudalweni kwe-ARM. I-Catalight Capital nayo iyahlanganyela; ilungu layo elisungula, uYoung Sohn, wayengumongameli wenkampani kanye nesikhulu secebo le-Samsung.
Ngaphandle kokutshalwa kwezimali, lesi sivumelwano sengeza ochwepheshe ababili abaphezulu ebhodini labaqondisi be-iPronics: uManish Muthal, umqondisi omkhulu ophethe weMaverick Silicon , kanye noGeoffrey Tate, owayeyi-CEO yeRambus kanye nomsunguli weFlexLogix (etholwe yi-Analog Devices). UTate, ophinde abe sebhodini le-Ayar Labs, uletha ulwazi lwamashumi eminyaka ebuholini bezobuchwepheshe, okokuqala njengephini likamongameli omkhulu wama-microprocessors e-AMD. UYoung Sohn ujoyina njengomeluleki wenkampani.
Iyini iPronics ONE futhi kungani ithakazelisa iNvidia?
Umkhiqizo ohamba phambili we-iPronics yi- iPronics ONE (Optical Networking Engine) , iswishi yesekethe ye-optical efakwe eshalofini evumela ukucushwa kabusha okunamandla kokuxhumana phakathi kwamaqoqo e-GPU ngesikhathi sangempela. Ngokungafani neswishi yendabuko ehambisa amaphakethe ngogesi, le divayisi isungula izindlela eziqondile ze-optical phakathi kwama-endpoints futhi ingashintsha lokho kuxhumana ngama-microsecond angaphansi kwama-300, ngokubambezeleka okungaphansi kwama-nanoseconds angama-30.
Impikiswano yenkampani iwukuthi amaqoqo e-AI amanje aphoqa abasebenzisi ukuthi bakhethe i-topology yenethiwekhi ehleliwe futhi baphile ngayo. Njengoba i-cluster ikhula, lokhu kuqina kuhumusha kuma-GPU angasebenzi, ukusetshenziswa kwamandla engeziwe, kanye nokuhlelwa kabusha okubizayo . Ipulatifomu ye-iPronics ivumela ukufakelwa kabusha kwenethiwekhi okufunwayo, ukuzivumelanisa nokuqeqeshwa noma umthwalo womsebenzi wokucabanga kanye nokuphambukisa ithrafikhi lapho ingxenye yehluleka. Ngokusho kwedatha yenkampani ebikwe yi-Reuters, ihadiwe inciphisa usayizi wemishini yamanje ye-OCS cishe izikhathi ezingama-20, okuyisilinganiso esibalulekile ekufakweni lapho iyunithi ngayinye ye-rack ibalwa khona.
Intshisekelo yeNvidia ayiyona into eyenzekile ngengozi. Inkampani kaJensen Huang iyaqonda ukuthi yonke intuthuko yenethiwekhi ekhulisa ukusetshenziswa kwama-accelerator ayo yenza yonke ipulatifomu yayo ibe yigugu kakhulu . Uma iswishi ye-optical ehlelwayo ivumela i-GPU ukuthi ichithe isikhathi esincane ilinde idatha, izindleko eziphelele zobunikazi beqembu ziyancipha, futhi isinqumo sokuthenga ama-GPU amaningi siba lula kumakhasimende. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukubandakanyeka kweNvidia kunikeza i-iPronics ilungelo ezingxoxweni nabakhiqizi bemishini ye-hyperscalers kanye nabakhiqizi bemishini ye-AI.
Umongo wemakethe othanda ukushintshashintsha kwe-optical
Ukushintshwa kwe-Optical circuit (OCS) akuyona ubuchwepheshe obusha. I-Google ibilokhu iyisebenzisa ezikhungweni zayo zedatha iminyaka eminingi ukuze ixhume ama-supercomputer ayo e-AI, kodwa imakethe manje ivulekela abadlali abaningi njengoba amaqoqo ekhula kusukela ku-rack eyodwa kuya kumashumi ezinkulungwane zama-accelerator. Ukuxhumana kube yinto ebaluleke kakhulu njengamandla ekhompyutha, futhi i-OCS izibeka esikhundleni sezakhiwo zendabuko ezisekelwe ethusi kanye nokushintshwa kwamaphakethe kagesi.
Umsunguli we-iPronics kanye ne-CTO uDaniel Pérez-López uchazele i-Reuters ukuthi ukwehluleka kwe-AI cluster "kwenzeka ngesikhathi semizuzu ," nokuthi isisusa esiyinhloko sokwamukela i-OCS ukuqina: inethiwekhi eqinile ekwazi ukuzihlela kabusha. Le nkampani ithi ubuchwepheshe bayo bunganciphisa amandla okushintsha adingekayo ngamaphesenti angama-50 ngokunciphisa inani lama-transceivers adingekayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuhlanganiswa kokulawula, i-telemetry, nama-API kuvumela opharetha ukuthi baphathe ungqimba lwe-optical ngqo kusuka ohlelweni lokuphatha ama-cluster.
Izinhlelo zokukhula nokwandisa emhlabeni wonke
Ngalo mjikelezo wokuxhaswa ngezimali, i-iPronics ihlela ukuphinda kabili abasebenzi bayo, okwamanje ababalelwa kubasebenzi abayi-100 , ngonyaka ozayo. Ivule nehhovisi eSanta Clara, eCalifornia, ukuqinisa ukuba khona kwayo e-United States futhi iqasha ngenkuthalo amasu omkhiqizo, ukusetshenziswa kwamakhasimende, kanye nokubambisana kwengqalasizinda ye-AI.
Le nkampani entsha iphinde yasungula umugqa wokukhiqiza ozinikele nomkhiqizi waseThailand iFabrinet, ohloselwe ukukhiqizwa ngobuningi obukhulu—isinyathelo esibalulekile sokusuka esigabeni sesibonelo kuya ekuthengisweni okukhulu. Ngokusho kwenkampani, isivele inamakhasimende amaningi e-hyperscale kanye ne-OEM ezinkampanini ze-AI, inkampani ngokwayo eyalinganisela ukuthi "eziyishumi zokuqala" ngesikhathi sokumenyezelwa kokubambisana.
Ngamazwi kaChristian Dupont, i-CEO ye-iPronics: “Ukusekelwa yiMaverick Silicon, iLight Street Capital, kanye neNvidia kuwukuqinisekiswa okunamandla kombono wethu .” I-CEO inezela ngokuthi, ngenxa yalokhu kutshalwa kwezimali, inkampani “ingasheshisa kakhulu isikhathi sayo sokumaketha futhi iqinisekise ukuthi izikhungo zedatha zingathola okuningi kuma-GPU azo ngaphandle kokuphazamisa ukusebenza.” UManish Muthal, waseMaverick Silicon, ugcizelela ukuthi “ukukhula okukhulu kwemithwalo yemisebenzi ye-AI kusunduze ingqalasizinda yenethiwekhi yendabuko yaze yafika emikhawulweni yamandla ayo kanye ne-bandwidth,” okwenza ukushintshana kwesekethe yokukhanya “kubaluleke kakhulu kunanini ngaphambili.”
I-iPronics izibeke endaweni yobuchwepheshe, kuze kube muva nje, ehlala ingaphandle kwezindaba kodwa iya ngokuya iba yisu njengoba amaqembu ekhula. Lokhu kutholwa kubonisa ukuthi iYurophu ingabamba iqhaza emkhakheni wengqalasizinda ye-AI ngaphakathi kwezindawo zobuchwepheshe , hhayi ngokuncintisana neziqhwaga embonini yamamodeli, kodwa ngokunikela ngengxenye ebalulekile edingwa yi-ecosystem yomhlaba wonke: ungqimba lokuxhumana oluvumela izinkulungwane zama-GPU ukuthi zisebenzisane kahle.