---
title: "From invisibility cloaks to AI chips: Neurophos raises $110M to build tiny optical processors for inferencing"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/from-invisibility-cloaks-to-ai-chips-neurophos-raises-110m-to-build-tiny-optical-processors-for-in-7oo0cb60y
source_url: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/22/from-invisibility-cloaks-to-ai-chips-neurophos-raises-110m-to-build-tiny-optical-processors-for-inferencing/
type: article
source: "TechCrunch"
published: 2026-01-22T15:02:57.266Z
updated: 2026-03-15T03:43:47.244Z
tags: ["ai", "gpu", "hardware"]
reading_time: 6
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# From invisibility cloaks to AI chips: Neurophos raises $110M to build tiny optical processors for inferencing

**[TechCrunch](https://daily.dev/sources/tc)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

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.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/22/from-invisibility-cloaks-to-ai-chips-neurophos-raises-110m-to-build-tiny-optical-processors-for-inferencing/>

---

Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#gpu](https://daily.dev/tags/gpu), [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware)

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