CamGraPhIC, a graphene photonics subsidiary of 2D Photonics, has been granted European Commission approval for €211 million in Italian state aid funding under the EU’s State Aid Framework for research, development, and innovation. This funding marks one of the largest single public investments in an Italian deep-tech startup. It will be utilized to industrialize the company’s graphene-based optical interconnect platform and construct a pilot manufacturing facility near Milan, expected to become operational in 2028.
CamGraPhIC’s technology aims to solve a growing issue as AI systems expand: data transfer speed and efficiency between chips, accelerators, and memory, rather than compute power, now limits performance. Existing electrical interconnects and traditional silicon photonic links fail to meet the bandwidth requirements of large AI models, consuming excessive power and generating heat. CamGraPhIC’s solution involves replacing these links with graphene-based optical input/output technology, offering significantly higher bandwidth density, reduced latency, and much lower energy consumption compared to top silicon photonics.
Graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon with remarkable electrical and optical characteristics, has been a focus of scientific research for twenty years but challenging to produce commercially. Founded by Marco Romagnoli and Professor Andrea Ferrari, CamGraPhIC’s pilot line near Milan aims to transition the technology from advanced research to real-world production, with potential for high-volume foundry processes. The project anticipates creating over 150 skilled jobs in photonics engineering, materials science, and semiconductor manufacturing.
In February 2025, 2D Photonics raised €25 million in Series A funding from CDP Venture Capital, the NATO Innovation Fund, Join Capital, Sony Innovation Fund, Bosch Ventures, Indaco Ventures, and Frontier IP Group. The €211 million state aid measure is considerably larger, highlighting the capital intensity of semiconductor manufacturing and the EU’s strategic interest in establishing a European photonics supply chain for AI infrastructure.