Neurophos, a Duke University spinout, raised $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier to develop optical processing units using metamaterial-based metasurface modulators. The startup claims its chips can achieve 235 POPS at 675 watts versus Nvidia's B200 at 9 POPS and 1,000 watts by shrinking optical transistors 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components. The technology enables matrix multiplication for AI inferencing in the optical domain, delaying conversion to electronics. First chips are expected mid-2028 and can be manufactured using standard silicon foundry processes. Microsoft's M12 participated in the round, with Microsoft expressing strong interest in the technology.
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