Fabless semiconductor start-up optoML has raised $1.8 million in a Pre-Series A round led by deep-tech venture capital firms Bluehill VC and A99. The funds will be used to scale hiring and initiate development of next-generation chips following the completion of tape-out with TSMC. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.

optoML delivers scalable Analog-in-Memory Compute (AiMC) with optical interconnects, designed to scale from edge deployments to hyperscalers. The architecture targets higher energy efficiency, lower latency and reduced silicon area, enabling lower overall cost. The investment comes at a key execution milestone, as optoML has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kaynes Semicon to support assembly and testing once wafers arrive from TSMC.

This partnership is expected to accelerate the transition from silicon to scalable packaging, manufacturing and product readiness. The company has also completed a 12 nm TSMC tape-out, validating its core AiMC architecture and SoC integration path.

Speaking on the investment, Manu Iyer, General Partner, Bluehill VC, said, “India’s deep-tech ecosystem is really coming into its own and semiconductors is an area where we are seeing fantastic progress. optoML, a fabless semicon company, sits at the intersection of two irreversible shifts in compute,  analog in-memory compute architectures and optical interconnects. As AI workloads scale from the edge to hyperscalers, energy efficiency, latency, and bandwidth are becoming first-order constraints. optoML’s 12nm tapeout with TSMC and its partnership with Kaynes Semicon mark a critical transition from research to real silicon and scalable production. We believe this is the kind of deep-tech platform that can meaningfully reshape the cost and efficiency curve of AI infrastructure. And these frugal innovations with a clear commercial use case will define India’s global AI dominance.”

Vignesh S, General Partner, A99, said, “We at a99 are thrilled to invest and be a part of the optoML juggernaut. As AI workloads move to the edge, power efficiency becomes the real constraint. optoML’s analog-in-memory approach is designed to address exactly that — shifting how AI inference can be delivered at lower energy and cost. We believe foundational semiconductor IP in AI infrastructure will matter a lot over the next decade, and this is a step in that direction for our investment thesis at a99.”

optoML was founded by Saravana Maruthamuthu, who brings 17 years of semiconductor and systems experience, including about 10 years in Germany. His previous roles include Intel, Qualcomm, Continental and Isar Aerospace, with expertise spanning advanced nodes, analog mixed signal and production-grade platforms.

Saravana Maruthamuthu, Founder and CEO, optoML, said, “We are excited to have Manu Iyer partnering closely with us, bringing deep experience in successful early-stage deep-tech investments and helping guide our path from test chip success to commercial viability, customer deployments, and scaled production. Bluehill and A99’s conviction will put us on a path to clear productisation, qualification, and real-world impact, turning efficient AI compute into deployable systems.”