Ethernovia raises $90M as investors rush to fund physical AI infrastructure

Ethernovia Secures Major Funding for Physical AI Infrastructure

San Jose-based semiconductor startup Ethernovia announced a $90 million Series B funding round on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in the race to build infrastructure for physical AI applications1

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. The round was led by Maverick Silicon, an AI-focused fund created in 2024 by hedge fund Maverick Capital, representing the first sector-specific fund in Maverick Capital's 30-year history1

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. Socratic Partners also participated in the round2

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Ethernet Processors Tackle Autonomous Vehicle Data Challenges

Founded in 2018, Ethernovia designs Ethernet processors and packet processors that function as the nervous system of autonomous vehicles and intelligent machines2

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The company's technology addresses a critical networking bottleneck: traditional in-vehicle networks struggle to handle the massive volumes of high-bandwidth sensor data required by modern autonomous and software-defined systems2

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. Ethernovia's Ethernet-based processors collect data from sensors scattered throughout a system and rapidly move it to a central computer, enabling real-time processing essential for AI-driven applications1

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The semiconductor solutions intelligently aggregate, route and manage data streams from cameras, radar, LiDAR, control units and AI accelerators while maintaining low latency and high reliability2

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. The company's product lineup includes high-performance Ethernet physical layer transceivers and scalable packet processors that support multigigabit speeds across single-pair automotive cabling2

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Physical AI Drives Investment Beyond Software

Investors and companies are leveraging developmental gains in AI to make leaps in technologies like robotics and autonomous vehicles, a trend now referred to as physical AI1

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. This shift means billions of dollars flowing to AI startups are starting to spill toward suppliers doing behind-the-scenes work to make these technologies real1

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. "The industry is entering the era of physical AI where intelligence must sense, reason and act in the real world with predictable, real-time performance," said co-founder and Chief Executive Ramin Shirani2

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Expanding Production for Automotive and Edge AI Markets

The new capital will accelerate development and production of Ethernovia's next-generation packet processor family, expand software and systems capabilities, and support customer engagements across automotive and edge AI, robotics and industrial markets2

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. Prior to this round, Ethernovia had raised $64 million in May 2023 from investors including Porsche SE, Qualcomm Ventures, VentureTech Alliance, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Western Digital Corp., Fall Line Capital Management, Taiwania Capital Management Corp. and Enea AB2

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Kenneth Safar, managing director of Maverick Silicon, emphasized the critical nature of the technology: "As autonomous systems become more complex, latency, power efficiency and architectural flexibility are no longer optional -- they are essential. Ethernovia has fundamentally reimagined the nervous system of intelligent machines with its packet processing platform, solving a critical networking bottleneck in automotive, robotics and industrial AI"2

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. The platform enables zonal and centralized architectures that scale autonomy and simplify vehicle system design, supporting advanced driver assistance systems, centralized vehicle computing and over-the-air software updates for edge devices2

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