Celestial AI, the company behind the Photonic Fabric optical interconnect platform, has raised $250 million in Series C1 funding. The round was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from notable investors including BlackRock, Maverick Silicon, Tiger Global Management, and Lip-Bu Tan. Existing investors such as AMD Ventures, Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), Temasek, and Porsche Automobil Holding SE also contributed.
This latest round brings Celestial AI’s total funding to over $515 million, underscoring strong investor confidence in its mission to redefine AI infrastructure with optical networking solutions.
With the rise of complex AI models requiring vast computational power, the demand for high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity has intensified. AI workloads now span from a handful of processors in a server to thousands across multiple racks, requiring robust data transfer capabilities.
“Cluster sizes must scale from a few AI processors in a server to thousands across multiple racks, all while relying on high-bandwidth, low-latency network connectivity,” said David Lazovsky, CEO of Celestial AI. “Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric is the only technology platform capable of meeting these demands while optimizing bandwidth, latency, and energy efficiency.”
Celestial AI plans to use the new funding to scale its Photonic Fabric platform, which enables seamless networking across AI compute environments. The company is focused on refining connectivity, switching, and packaging solutions to enhance AI processing efficiency.
Additionally, the funding will support expanding its volume manufacturing supply chain to meet growing customer demand. With deep collaborations with hyperscalers, AI processor makers, and silicon packaging firms, Celestial AI is positioned to drive broader adoption of optical AI networking solutions.
Founded to revolutionize AI computing and networking, Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric integrates seamlessly with existing semiconductor and packaging technologies. Its proprietary approach provides terabytes of low-latency bandwidth, optimizing data transfer between chips and across data centers.
“Amid the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence, Celestial AI is uniquely positioned to meet the soaring demands of data center infrastructure with its disruptive Photonic Fabric technology,” said Tony Kim, Head of Fundamental Equities Technology Group at BlackRock.
The company’s solutions are fully compatible with standard manufacturing and 2.5D packaging processes, ensuring broad industry adoption.
With backing from top-tier investors, Celestial AI has steadily expanded its market presence. Previous funding rounds included investments from major players like AMD Ventures, Temasek’s Xora Innovation, and The Engine Ventures.
“By providing terabytes of low latency bandwidth and in-network computing, Photonic Fabric enables the next generation of AI infrastructure,” said Andrew Homan, Managing Partner at Maverick Silicon.
Celestial AI’s momentum is driven by increasing AI workload demands and the shift toward optical networking solutions. With strong financial backing, the company aims to accelerate commercialization, expand production capabilities, and forge new partnerships with hyperscalers and semiconductor firms.
“Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric is fundamentally transforming AI computing, networking, and memory solutions by addressing critical infrastructure challenges,” said Diane Bryant, Independent Director at Celestial AI and Broadcom Inc.
