Relativity Networks has raised $22mn and landed a $40mn order from a large cloud provider. The company is pitching a faster kind of fibre for AI data centres. The Orlando-based company announced the funding and the commercial deal on Tuesday, in a press release.
The money came in as a $22mn SAFE. That is a form of investment that converts into shares at a later priced round. It came in at more than double the original target, the company said. New backers include Rhapsody Venture Partners, Bell Ventures and Faster Than Glass. The company did not disclose a valuation. A SAFE note is a standard tool for early-stage rounds, TechCrunch reported.
The $40mn order is a follow-on from a hyperscaler that the company did not name. The customer placed it after testing Relativity’s ChronoCore technology on a link between two data centres, the release said. The order is a follow-on, which the company presented as a sign the technology had cleared a real-world trial rather than a lab demo.
What the technology does
Relativity sells hollow-core fibre. Conventional fibre sends light through solid glass. Hollow-core fibre sends it through an air-filled channel instead. That lets the light travel closer to its speed in a vacuum.
