Salience Labs Secures £24m for AI Optical Switch Development

Oxford-based Salience Labs has successfully raised £24 million in Series A financing to accelerate the development of its innovative optical switch technology intended for AI data center connectivity. Noteworthy investors leading this round include ICM HPQC Fund and Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, alongside participation from existing backers. Salience Labs, known for its photonic solutions, aims to provide AI clusters with high bandwidth, low latency connectivity that integrates with existing infrastructures, while also ensuring significant power savings. Vaysh Kewada, CEO and co-founder, emphasized the potential for their optical switch to enhance large cluster connections and optimize power usage. Simultaneously, Salience Labs has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Bonnie Tomei as Chief Financial Officer and Dr. William Jeffrey as a new board member. Tomei brings over 20 years of experience in initial public offerings and corporate operations, and will help spearhead Salience's strategic goals, including its expansion into the U.S. market. Meanwhile, Dr. Jeffrey adds valuable expertise from his extensive career in public service and science management. Anand Kamannavar of Applied Ventures expressed confidence in Salience's silicon photonics technology as a transformative solution for AI data centre efficiency.