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§ Private Profile · Berlin, DE, USA
Deep-tech semiconductor company developing all-optical processors for high-performance computing and AI, focused on ultra-low power.
Founded in 2021 by Michael Kissner and Leonardo Del Bino, Akhetonics is a Berlin-based fabless semiconductor company developing all-optical cross-domain processing units for high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and edge computing. The organization utilizes photonic integrated circuits based on the RISC-V architecture to perform nonlinear operations entirely through light, bypassing standard electronic conversion processes to eliminate traditional silicon bandwidth bottlenecks. This hardware approach is designed to drastically lower energy consumption and enable significantly faster computing across the telecommunications, optical networking, and aerospace sectors. Operating with fewer than 25 employees, the enterprise has generated approximately $5.9 million in revenue and previously participated in the Intel Ignite accelerator program. The early-stage startup has secured €8.8 million in total venture capital funding, backed by a syndicate of institutional investors including Matterwave Ventures, 468 Capital, Bayern Kapital, and Runa Capital.
Akhetonics has raised $11.5M across 3 funding rounds.
Akhetonics has raised $11.5M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Akhetonics has raised $11.5M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Seed in November 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, 2024 | $7M Seed | Matterwave Ventures | — | Announced |
| Jul 25, 2023 | $2.5M Venture Round | Runa Capital | — | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2023 | $2M Seed | — | Freigeist, Koen BOK, Niklas Jansen | Announced |
Akhetonics has raised $11.5M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Akhetonics's investors include Matterwave Ventures, Runa Capital, Freigeist, Koen Bok, Niklas Jansen.
Akhetonics is a Berlin-based technology company developing all-optical general-purpose processors for ultra-low power, high-performance computing and AI. Its core product is a cross-domain processing unit (XPU) that operates entirely in the optical domain, eliminating electronic signal conversion to deliver faster processing, reduced power consumption, and minimal heat output[1][2][3]. The company targets AI, edge computing, and quantum applications, solving key bottlenecks in traditional electronic processors like high energy use, latency, and cooling needs, with early demonstrations including the world's first all-optical 2-bit CPU in February 2024[3]. Growth momentum includes a €6 million funding round in November 2024 led by Matterwave Ventures, with participation from 468 Capital, Bayern Kapital, and others[3].
Founded in 2021 in Berlin, Germany, Akhetonics emerged from breakthroughs in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) enabling nonlinear optical operations, which are essential for general-purpose computing beyond linear tasks[1][2]. Co-founders Michael Kissner (CEO) and Leonardo Del Bino (CTO) drive the vision: Del Bino's PhD and postdoc work at institutions like the National Physical Laboratory (UK) and Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (Germany) focused on all-optical logic gates and memories, inspiring the company's revolutionary approach[4]. Kissner's background includes software consulting and research in optics and computer science[4]. Early traction came via SPRIND support and the 2024 2-bit CPU demonstrator, proving viability and attracting major funding[3].
Akhetonics stands out in photonics through these key strengths:
Akhetonics rides the photonics wave for AI and high-performance computing, addressing exploding data center energy demands amid AI growth—optical processing cuts power, latency, and costs versus electronic rivals like Ayar Labs or PhotonIC Technologies[1][2]. Timing aligns with Europe's push for sovereign, efficient tech amid U.S.-China chip tensions, enabling edge AI in rugged environments and quantum advancements[2][3]. It influences the ecosystem by proving all-optical feasibility, fostering European photonic innovation, and drawing investment to scale prototypes toward commercial XPUs[3].
Akhetonics is poised to disrupt computing with scalable all-optical XPUs, targeting AI training/inference, edge devices, and quantum hybrids post-2024 funding and demos. Trends like AI power crises and photonic scaling will accelerate adoption, potentially evolving its influence from pioneer to infrastructure leader in low-power, high-parallelism paradigms. This positions Akhetonics to redefine processors much like transistors did, delivering the efficient, optical future electronic limits can't match.