AI network startup Eridu has raised $200 million in a Series A funding round, TechCrunch reported on Monday.
The investment was led by Socratic Partners, John Doerr and Matter Venture Partners, among others. Eridu's total funding increased to $230 million.
Eridu founder Drew Perkins (드류 퍼킨스) has worked in network technology development since the 1980s. In 1999, he founded optical switch company Lightera Networks and sold it to Ciena for more than $500 million, and later founded Infinera and sold it to Nokia for $2.3 billion. TechCrunch reported that in 2023, he realised the importance of networking between AI chips after a conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, which led him to establish Eridu.
Eridu is developing new chips and systems to replace existing data centre networks. It is focusing on cutting costs and improving performance by reducing fibre-optic connections and strengthening on-chip communications.
Perkins said, "GPU computing and memory bandwidth improve tenfold every year, but existing network switches only improve 2 to 3 times every 2 to 3 years," stressing the need for a new network design suited to the AI era.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr