How NcodiN is Enhancing the Power and Efficiency of Processors With the World’s Smallest Laser

NcodiN, the deep-tech startup pioneering optical interposer technology with integrated nanolasers, led by Francesco Manegatti, Bruno Garbin, Fabrice Raineri, Yacine Halioua, and Carlo Guareschi, has secured €16 million in an oversubscribed Seed financing round led by MIG Capital, with participation from Maverick Silicon, PhotonVentures, and Verve Ventures, alongside continued support from existing backers Elaia, Earlybird, and OVNI. To strengthen its foundation, NcodiN has expanded its network of strategic advisors, welcoming, among others, Eli Yablonovitch, Gus Yeung, and Peter de Dobbelaere.

The funding will accelerate NcodiN’s transition from R&D to industrial scale, advancing product development, expanding key engineering hires to industrialize its technology on a 300 mm CMOS pilot line, and strengthening its supply chain and customer partnerships.

NcodiN is developing NConnect, a photonic interposer built around the world’s smallest laser, designed to break the “copper wall” limiting today’s AI systems. By enabling dense on-silicon integration, NConnect allows supercomputer-level performance within a single processor. The new funding accelerates industrialization, expands R&D and Silicon Valley presence, and prepares the company for large-scale manufacturing partnerships.

Over the past 18 months, NcodiN has gained strong industry recognition for its breakthrough work on AI’s interconnect bottlenecks. The team has demonstrated proof-of-concept nanolasers with sub-0.1 pJ/bit efficiency, integrated nanodetectors, and full silicon optical links, while also establishing an independent cleanroom that now supports rapid prototyping and joint development with industry partners.

“This funding is a major milestone for NcodiN. Our technology delivers the energy-efficient interconnects needed to achieve the high memory bandwidth powering tomorrow’s AI factories. As GPUs and AI accelerators evolve at breakneck speed, NcodiN is providing the photonic foundation that enables the wafer-scale architectures the industry is pursuing.” — Francesco Manegatti, CEO & Co-founder, NcodiN.