Olix Computing raises $312 million for optical AI inference hardware

AI hardware startup Olix Computing has raised $312 million in a Series C round, tripling its valuation to $3.3 billion. Backed by Arm and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, the London-based company is developing the DX-1 chip for AI inference. The chip uses on-chip SRAM instead of HBM and a novel 'slow and wide' optical interconnect, aiming to process over 10,000 tokens per second. Olix plans to ship its hardware in the first half of 2027.

Olix Computing funding round

• ▪The funding round included contributions from Arm Holding plc and Netflix Inc. co-founder Reed Hastings.
• ▪Following its latest funding round, Olix Computing is now valued at $3.3 billion, triple its valuation from a previous round in February.
• ▪AI hardware startup Olix Computing Ltd. has raised $312 million in a Series C funding round.

DX-1 chip architecture

• ▪This on-chip SRAM approach is designed to store the large "KV cache" generated during AI inference without needing slower external memory.
• ▪The DX-1 chip holds a language model in fast on-chip SRAM memory, forgoing off-chip HBM memory.
• ▪London-based Olix is developing a chip called the DX-1, specifically optimized for the "decode stage" of AI inference workloads.

Optical interconnect technology

• ▪The optical interconnect transmits data as light and uses a "slow and wide" design with a large number of slower channels.
• ▪The use of NRZ encoding removes the need for costly digital signal processors to correct data errors.
• ▪Olix's DX-1 chips will be part of a data center appliance called the X-1, where they are linked by an optical interconnect.
• ▪Olix's interconnects use a reliable encoding method called NRZ, which is less prone to errors than the faster PAM4 technology.

Performance specifications

• ▪Olix's DX-1 chip enables large language models with 100 billion parameters to process over 10,000 tokens per second.
• ▪Multiple X-1 racks can be linked into clusters to run models with up to 10 trillion parameters.

Manufacturing timeline

• ▪Olix Computing hopes to start shipping its chips in the first half of 2027.
• ▪The company will use its latest funding to enhance its custom silicon platform and accelerate manufacturing efforts.

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