微软投资光芯片，计划取代GPU

Core Insights - Neurophos Inc. has successfully raised $110 million in an oversubscribed early funding round, bringing its total funding to $118 million, with significant participation from various investors including Gates Frontier and Microsoft's M12 [1][2] - The company aims to address the growing demand for computational power required for AI technologies by developing a new AI acceleration chip called the Optical Processing Unit (OPU), which integrates over a million micro-scale optical processing elements on a single chip [2][3] Funding and Investment - The A round of funding was led by Gates Frontier, with participation from multiple investors such as Carbon Direct Capital, Saudi Aramco Ventures, and others [1] - The investment reflects a broader trend where investors are willing to fund promising chip startups due to the unprecedented demand for AI computing, which cannot be solely met by existing players like NVIDIA [3][4] Technology and Innovation - Neurophos's OPU is claimed to achieve performance levels up to 100 times that of current AI processors, providing a more powerful plug-and-play solution for data center operators [2] - The core innovation lies in the development of proprietary micro-scale optical modulators, which are 10,000 times smaller than existing photonic components, enabling practical photon-based computing [2][3] Performance and Applications - The OPU chip is designed to operate at clock frequencies exceeding 100 GHz, with early tests showing performance of over 300 trillion operations per watt, significantly surpassing current standards [3] - Neurophos is collaborating with Norwegian data center operator Terakraft to launch a pilot project for its optical AI accelerator by 2027, with plans to manufacture complete systems by early 2028 [3][5] Future Plans - The funding will accelerate the delivery of Neurophos's first integrated photonic computing system, which includes OPU modules and a complete software stack [5] - The company plans to expand its headquarters in Austin, Texas, and open a new engineering center in San Francisco to showcase its technology to potential customers [5]