Photon Bridge, EUR 10M for multi-laser sources for AI data centres
Photon Bridge, a photonics company in Eindhoven, cites an Omdia forecast that more than 20 million data-centre AI accelerators will ship a year by 2028. It says the laser supply chain behind the optical links was largely built for telecom and subsea networks, where volumes are far lower. On 21 October 2026 it announced €10 million.
The round was co-led by two new investors, the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and 360 Capital. According to the company, the fund was launched in early 2023 by APEX Ventures and Amadeus Capital Partners. Existing investors Innovation Industries, Faber and BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) increased their investment.
One backer is a public enterprise. On its own site BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) calls itself "a public enterprise with no commercial interest", with the Province of North Brabant and the Ministry of Economic Affairs as shareholders. How much BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) or any other investor put into this round is not published.
The technical bet: instead of relying on a few increasingly powerful lasers, Photon Bridge combines light from many lower-power semiconductor lasers. Lower power density makes each laser less sensitive to manufacturing defects, which the company says improves yield. It targets up to 40 mW per wavelength per fibre and production across several indium phosphide foundries. CEO Paul Marchal says: "The industry will soon need millions of these laser sources every year."
The limits: no customers are named, no valuation is published, and neither the release nor tech.eu names a founder other than the CEO or any university origin.
What the money pays for: product development and customer qualification, first samples in 2027, preparation for volume manufacturing from 2028, and a larger team in Eindhoven.