Leeds-based firm Optalysys, which builds photonic computers for secure, encrypted data processing, has secured £23 million in a Series A extension round led by Northern Gritstone.
- Founded in 2019 by Dr. Nick New and Robert Todd, Optalysys develops photonic computing hardware designed to accelerate fully homomorphic encryption (FHE).
- The company builds programmable computing systems that process data while it remains encrypted, enabling secure analysis and collaboration without exposing sensitive information.
- Optalysys leverages silicon photonics to transmit and compute data using light, rather than electrical signals, allowing multiple data streams to be handled simultaneously with greater speed and energy efficiency.
- Its technology is deployed in high-performance servers, including LightLocker™ Node, to support applications such as confidential blockchain, secure Web3, and AI workloads.
Details of the deal
- The Series A round was led by Northern Gritstone, with participation from imec.xpand, Lingotto Horizon, and the UK government’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF).
“Optalysys is scaling towards global success. The company is building technology for the next generation of computing and has the team, technology and commercial traction that we, as investors, want. We’re excited to support the team as they continue to commercialise their technology and deliver real-world impact across multiple industries," explains Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone.
- The firm will use the fresh funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its proprietary photonic chips, further develop its programmable computing technology for AI, cloud, and security applications, and expand into the US to tap into the country’s photonics and semiconductor ecosystem.
"This investment validates both the scale of the opportunity ahead and our ability to execute against it. It allows us to expand into new markets and take an important step towards making photonic computing a mainstream part of cloud infrastructure," claims Dr Nick New, CEO and co-founder of Optalysys.
