Back to list

OLIX

Photonic decode accelerators for frontier AI inference, built without HBM
Semiconductors 📍 London, UK Founded 2024
Current Valuation
$3.3B
as of 2026-08
UNICORN
OLIX is a London-based semiconductor company building end-to-end infrastructure for frontier AI inference — the chips, the lasers and the network that connects them. It was founded in March 2024 by James Dacombe, then 24, and incorporated as Flux Corp Ltd before rebranding to Olix Computing Ltd in January 2026. Its first product is the DX-1, a decode accelerator in the X-1 platform targeted specifically at the output-generation stage of large language models rather than at general-purpose training. The design makes two unusual bets: it uses SRAM in place of high-bandwidth memory, removing the dependence on HBM supply and advanced packaging that constrains most AI accelerators, and it links chips with a 'slow and wide' optical die-to-die interconnect that moves data as light instead of over copper. OLIX claims the DX-1 can sustain more than 10,000 tokens per second per user on 100-billion-parameter models at better throughput-per-watt than general-purpose chips running large batch sizes. Nothing has shipped to a paying customer: tape-out is expected later in 2026 with first deliveries targeted for the second half of 2027. The company raised a $220M Series A in February 2026 at roughly a $1B valuation and a $312M Series B announced 2026-08-03 at $3.3B — more than tripling its valuation in six months, and the largest semiconductor venture round ever raised by a European company. It employs more than 140 people, with the London headquarters supported by offices in Bristol, Toronto, San Francisco and Austin. Stanford professor emeritus Nick McKeown joined the board alongside the Series B.

Company Profile

CEO
James Dacombe
Founded
2024
HQ
London, UK
Employees
140+
Total Raised
$532M
Last Round
Series B — $312M (Aug 2026) · Lead: Fundomo
IPO Status
private

Fundraising Status

Series B · $312M · this month
privateTotal raised $532M2 disclosed rounds

Growth & Valuation

Capital raised per round
Capital raised per funding round$220MSeries A$312MSeries B
Charts built from publicly disclosed funding rounds and revenue estimates. Approximate, not real-time, not investment advice.

Funding History

RoundAmountDateLead InvestorPost-Money
Series B$312MAug 2026Fundomo
Series A$220MFeb 2026Hummingbird Ventures

Talent Signal

Hiring data for OLIX has not been collected yet — the monthly talent sweep hasn't reached this company. Check back soon.

Founders & Key People

James Dacombe

Investors

Fundomo · Hummingbird Ventures · Plural · Arm · Hudson River Trading · UK Sovereign AI Venture Fund · Crane Venture Partners · Creandum · Phoenix Court · Transition · Vertex Ventures · LocalGlobe · Entrepreneurs First · Reed Hastings

Products

  • X-1 platform (custom silicon for frontier AI inference)
  • DX-1 decode accelerator (tape-out expected late 2026, first customer deliveries targeted H2 2027)
  • Optical die-to-die interconnect ('slow and wide' light-based links replacing copper)
  • SRAM-based memory architecture that removes the dependence on HBM and advanced packaging

Competitors

NVIDIA · Groq · Etched · Celestial AI · Lightmatter
SemiconductorsAI ChipsSilicon PhotonicsAI InferenceOptical InterconnectsUnited KingdomUnicorn
Private-company numbers are not real-time. Reflects publicly disclosed valuations from press releases, news reports, and tender offers as of 2026-08. Refreshed quarterly.