NTT has announced its investment in iPronics, a company developing programmable optical network technology for AI data centers, as the first investment of the IOWN AI Fund. This Series B funding round totals $125 million and includes participation from both new and existing investors, including NVIDIA.

iPronics develops programmable optical circuit switches utilizing silicon photonics, possessing technology that dynamically reconfigures optical connections within and between racks via software. This enables flexible network configurations tailored to AI workloads, aiming to improve GPU utilization efficiency, reduce power consumption, and simplify network architecture.

The photonic-electronic convergence switches being developed by NTT and the optical circuit switches from iPronics have different characteristics. Optical circuit switches achieve power savings by switching paths while maintaining the optical signal, making them suitable for high-capacity traffic that persists over a certain period. By combining these technologies, NTT expects to increase the efficiency of the overall data center network and expand the IOWN ecosystem.

Source: