Netris, a company specialising in network automation, has successfully closed a Series A funding round, securing $15 million (approximately £11.8 million) from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). This significant investment is earmarked to accelerate the deployment of 'neoclouds' – new data centres specifically designed to support the intensive computational demands of artificial intelligence (AI) inference and training.
The rapid expansion of AI has led to a surge in demand for specialised data centre infrastructure. However, the process of establishing and configuring these complex environments, from securing graphics processing units (GPUs) and network switches to ensuring multi-tenancy capabilities for diverse customers, can traditionally take many months. This delay can result in substantial costs due to idle, high-value hardware. Netris addresses this challenge by providing software that runs on network switches and a platform that automates critical setup, configuration, and operational tasks, drastically reducing the time it takes for these neoclouds to become operational.
Netris's solution offers network abstraction, allowing hardware configurations to be modified as needed, and isolates servers and resources at the hardware layer to enable multiple customers to share the infrastructure securely. Unlike traditional software-defined networking (SDN) solutions, Netris CEO Alex Saroyan emphasised the need for hardware-accelerated automation for AI workloads due to the immense traffic volumes involved. The platform is designed to be vendor-agnostic, supporting networking equipment from both Nvidia and AMD servers, making it highly adaptable to existing and future data centre ecosystems.
The company has already demonstrated its efficacy, with its technology currently live in over 35 GPU clusters worldwide, collectively managing approximately one million GPUs. Notable clients include Lightning AI, Foxconn, Visionbay, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Telus. Nvidia, a key player in the AI chip market, reportedly recommended Netris to several customers after being impressed by a demonstration of their technology two years ago.
Crucially, Netris achieves its automation without relying on AI itself. Saroyan noted that the company utilises algorithms developed over eight years, prioritising deterministic and repeatable processes essential for configuring thousands of network switches, rather than the creative, non-deterministic nature of AI. The newly acquired funding will enable Netris to expand its engineering and sales teams, broaden support for additional hardware vendors, and further enhance the functionality of its core automation algorithms.