Astrape Networks raises €7.9 million for optical datacentre solutions
The company, which uses PICs to enable faster and more sustainable optical networks, says its technology can support networks to handle 50 percent more traffic while requiring fewer servers and cutting power consumption for the same computational load
Astrape Networks, a Dutch start-up using integrated photonics to optimise short-distance data network performance, has announced the successful completion of a €7.9 million seed round, which includes a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC). The round was co-led by PhotonVentures, Join Capital, and Brabant Development Agency (BOM), with participation from Shift Invest. Astrape says the funding reinforces its mission to enhance datacentre efficiency, which is essential for expanding AI and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and Europe’s digital sovereignty.
Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from Eindhoven University of Technology and incubated by HighTechXL, Astrape aims to address critical performance bottlenecks by introducing dynamic optical bypass possibilities seamlessly into any datacentre network. The company says its technology enables networks to handle 50 percent more traffic while requiring fewer servers for the same computational load. According to Astrape, its solution delivers 2x higher utilisation rates, expands hop capacity from 0 to 2, and scales to support over 16 million GPUs/xPUs per network – while slashing energy consumption by 60 percent.
The company adds that its technology is strategically positioned to meet the rapidly growing datacentre market, projected to reach $624 billion by 2029, driven by cloud computing, AI, and real-time data processing demands.
“The explosive growth of AI and HPC applications has pushed datacentres to their limits,” said Francesco Pessolano, CEO and co-founder of Astrape Networks. “Our network solutions optimise server-to-server communication and load balancing, dramatically improving datacentre efficiency and sustainability.”
Ewit Roos, general partner at PhotonVentures, commented: “Astrape is solving one of the most urgent bottlenecks in the AI revolution: the data traffic jams crippling modern datacentres. Their solution not only boosts performance but also slashes energy consumption – significantly reducing the carbon footprint of AI infrastructure at scale.”
Astrape says its patented innovations underscore its commitment to market-leading technology, targeting both multi-tenant datacentres and hyperscalers such as AWS and Azure.
“Astrape’s unique technology addresses a critical challenge in strategic infrastructure, specifically in datacentres and data communications,” said Sebastian von Ribbentrop, co-founder of Join Capital. “We’re proud to support this group of entrepreneurs who have successfully demonstrated the solution’s feasibility in the lab.”
Ivana Sersic Vollenbroek, senior investment manager at Brabant Development Agency (BOM), added: “Astrape’s technology is a game changer for datacentres. Their solution makes datacentres more efficient in terms of energy usage, but also the utilisation of the current infrastructure. We see Astrape as a valuable addition to the strong photonic ecosystem of suppliers and application developers in the Netherlands.”
