UK Startup OLIX Raises $312 Million for AI Hardware

UK semiconductor startup OLIX secured $312 million in a Series B funding round, reaching a valuation of $3.3 billion. The funding round included participation from Arm, Fundomo, Hudson River Trading, and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, as well as existing investors Plural, Hummingbird Ventures, Phoenix Court, Crane, Creandum, and Transition.

The company develops end-to-end infrastructure for frontier AI inference. Its X-1 platform unrolls AI models across multiple chips using a "slow and wide" optical interconnect designed to lower energy costs and reduce latency. OLIX is currently focusing on its first chip, the DX-1, which serves as a decode accelerator for large AI models.

OLIX intends to use the new capital to complete the DX-1 and expand its custom silicon platform, with a goal of providing initial customer access in the second half of 2027. As part of its growth phase, the company also appointed Professor Nick McKeown to its board of directors.