Germany-based Q.ANT, a pioneer in photonic processing, has secured €62 million Series A financing round to accelerate the commercialisation of its energy-efficient photonic processors for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC).
As AI infrastructure scales globally, traditional chip technology (CMOS) reaches its physical limits, performance stagnates, and electricity demand is reaching untenable levels. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres are projected to consume more electricity by 2026 than Japan’s total annual energy use.
Q.ANT is addressing this issue with a radically different paradigm: computing with light instead of electricity, which opens the door to significantly higher performance and energy savings.
In just five years, Q.ANT has reached a major milestone by developing the world’s first commercial photonic processor built for real-world AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. This technology accelerates complex AI tasks while significantly reducing energy consumption. Built on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN), the Q.ANT Native Processing Server integrates effortlessly into existing data centres as a plug-in co-processor.
Early testing shows up to 30 times greater energy efficiency, 50 times higher performance, and the potential to boost data centre capacity by up to 100 times, all without the need for complex active cooling. Q.ANT is the first photonic processing company to deliver this combination of performance, precision, and seamless industry integration in a sustainable solution.
Dr. Michael Förtsch, founder and CEO of Q.ANT, shared:
Q.ANT was founded with a bold vision: to redefine the way the world computes by using light instead of electricity. This investment proves that Europe has both the ambition and the capital to lead – and gives us the strong partners we need to pursue our mission and help shape the future of computing.
This funding will enable Q.ANT to scale production, advance development of next-generation photonic processors, grow its team across disciplines, and expand to the US to support a growing number of customer deployments.
In addition, Q.ANT strengthens its advisory board with three semiconductor and photonics experts: Hermann Hauser, founder of ARM; Hermann Eul former member of the Infineon Management Board and former CVP & GM of Intel; as well as Chuck Matera, former CEO of Coherent, whose combined expertise in semiconductor scaling, industrialization and global commercialization will be instrumental in Q.ANT’s next phase.
The round is co-led by Cherry Ventures, UVC Partners, and imec.xpand, with participation from additional deep tech investors, including L-Bank, Verve Ventures, Grazia Equity, EXF Alpha, LEA Partners, Onsight Ventures, and TRUMPF.
Christian Meermann, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures, said:
Q.ANT’s photonic chips stand to radically reduce data center operating costs while delivering the breakthrough performance demanded by next-generation AI and high-performance computing. With early commercial momentum and a world-class team of deep tech experts, Q.ANT is uniquely positioned to redefine the trillion-dollar data center semiconductor landscape. We’re proud to back them in building the future of computing.
Andreas Unseld, General Partner at UVC Partners, highlighted that what stood out about Q.ANT was its clear vision and consistent execution in achieving it:
Q.ANT is not only pioneering a new computing architecture, but doing so in a way that addresses the urgent need for more sustainable AI infrastructure. That combination of deep tech capability and long-term relevance made this an easy decision for us.
According to Cyril Vancura, Partner at imec.xpand, traditional CMOS processors are nearing their physical and design limitations, with further advances through parallelisation and miniaturisation offering only limited benefits. In comparison, photonic computing offers a fundamentally different approach with significant, largely unexplored potential for scaling. He highlighted:
Q.ANT has solved the core challenges of this technology and is well-positioned to define the future of high-performance computing.
Q.ANT is on a mission to redefine the future of AI infrastructure. By 2030, it plans to establish its photonic processing technology as a core element of global AI systems, driving major improvements in scalability and energy efficiency.
Designed for smooth market adoption, Q.ANT’s Photonic Native Processing Server (NPS) is already available for early access, offered in a standard, easy-to-integrate format that works seamlessly with current programming languages and AI software. The NPS reduces energy consumption, eliminates on-chip heat, and increases compute density, setting the stage for a new generation of high-performance, sustainable computing.
Lead image: Q.ANT GmbH | New power for AI - photonics processor from Q.ANT can deliver more performance with less energy consumption
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