Fabless Semiconductor startup optoML has raised $1.8 million in a Pre Series A round led by deep tech VC Bluehill & A99. The Funds raised will be used for scaling up hiring and start work on next generation chips as tape out with TSMC is completed. The transaction will be completed pending regulatory approval.
optoML brings scalable Analog-in-Memory Compute with optical interconnects, designed to scale from edge deployments to hyperscalers, targeting higher energy efficiency and lower latency with reduced silicon area and thereby lower cost. This investment comes at an important execution milestone for optoML as the company has signed an MoU with Kaynes Semicon to support assembly and testing once the wafers arrive from TSMC, accelerating the journey from silicon to scalable packaging, manufacturing, and product readiness. The company has also completed 12nm TSMC tapeout realizing its core AiMC architecture and SoC integration path.
Speaking on the investment, Manu Iyer, General Partner, Bluehill.VC, says, “India’s deep-tech ecosystem is really coming into its own and semiconductors is an area where we are seeing fantastic progress. optoML, a fabless semicon company, sits at the intersection of two irreversible shifts in compute — analog in-memory compute architectures and optical interconnects. As AI workloads scale from the edge to hyperscalers, energy efficiency, latency, and bandwidth are becoming first-order constraints. optoML’s 12nm tapeout with TSMC and its partnership with Kaynes Semicon mark a critical transition from research to real silicon and scalable production. We believe this is the kind of deep-tech platform that can meaningfully reshape the cost and efficiency curve of AI infrastructure. And these frugal innovations with a clear commercial use case will define India’s global AI dominance.”
Vignesh S, General Partner of a99 says “We at a99 are thrilled to invest and be a part of the optoML juggernaut. As AI workloads move to the edge, power efficiency becomes the real constraint. optoML’s analog-in-memory approach is designed to address exactly that shifting how AI inference can be delivered at lower energy and cost. We believe foundational semiconductor IP in AI infrastructure will matter a lot over the next decade, and this is a step in that direction for our investment thesis at a99.”
optoML was founded by Saravana Maruthamuthu, bringing 17 years of semiconductor and systems experience, including about 10 years in Germany, with roles spanning Intel, Qualcomm, Continental, and Isar Aerospace, across advanced nodes, analog mixed signal, and production grade platforms.
Saravana M, Founder & CEO, optoML adds “We are excited to have Manu Iyer partnering closely with us, bringing deep experience in successful early stage deep tech investments and helping guide our path from test chip success to commercial viability, customer deployments, and scaled production. Bluehill and a99’s conviction will put us on a path to clear productization, qualification, and real world impact, turning efficient AI compute into deployable systems.”
About Bluehill VC
Bluehill VC is a Rs 350 crore Chennai based deep-tech focused venture capital firm specifically focused on IP in engineering and science domains within the deep-tech umbrella. Investment Areas of interest include Energy, Space, Defence, Semiconductors, Material Science, Water, Manufacturing, Robotics, Industrial & IOT. The firm partners closely with technical founders and brings global semiconductor leadership to help build world-class IP from India. The average investment size ranges from $750K to $2M in a first cheque with up to $3M in follow-on investment.
About optoML
optoML is a pioneering semiconductor company delivering the next evolution in AI compute. Headquartered in Singapore with an R&D center in Bengaluru, optoML is developing the world’s first holistic FinFET-based analog AI System-on-Chip (SoC) platform with integrated optical interconnects. The company’s patented in-memory compute architecture offers up to 50× higher energy efficiency compared to traditional digital accelerators, making it ideally suited for edge, enterprise, and data center AI workloads. Firms offering includes a scalable NPU, full software stack, and chip-to-chip optical links—ushering in a new era of ultra-efficient AI inference.
