IOWN AI Fund invests in iPronics for AI data center networking

The IOWN AI Fund, a consortium including NTT, has made its first investment in iPronics, a company specializing in programmable optical networking technology for AI data centers. The investment was part of a $125 million Series B funding round that also included NVIDIA.

iPronics develops programmable optical circuit switches using silicon photonics. This technology allows for the dynamic software-based reconfiguration of optical connections within and between server racks. By switching optical paths directly without converting signals to electricity, the technology aims to improve GPU efficiency, reduce power consumption, and simplify network configurations for large-scale AI workloads.

The IOWN AI Fund intends to use this investment to advance the IOWN ecosystem and next-generation AI infrastructure. While NTT is also developing electro-optical fusion switches for high-speed packet switching, iPronics’ technology is considered complementary, as it is particularly suited for high-capacity, sustained traffic that does not require frequent path changes.