AMD has snapped up Enosemi, a Silicon Valley startup focused on advancing silicon photonics materials and design for next generation data transfer. Financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed as both firms confirmed the deal this week.
Enosemi’s team has built a reputation for delivering photonic integrated circuits, microchips that use light as a means to transmit information at speeds well beyond conventional electronics. Founded last year and staffed by semiconductor veterans such as Ari Novack and Matthew Streshinsky, the firm specializes in AMD optical interconnects that can boost computing and networking performance inside modern data centers.
AMD Deepens its Investment in AI Technology
Bringing Enosemi under its umbrella, AMD intends to fast track its development of co-packaged optics—where photonic and electronic chips are combined—to meet the swelling appetite for faster data movement in advanced AI models. The demand for these technologies continues to surge as AI systems become more sophisticated and require more powerful processing infrastructure.
Senior vice president Brian Amick commented that Enosemi has been a trusted engineering partner in photonics development, and this formal acquisition will help AMD immediately scale the design and delivery of these optical solutions. The newly acquired team will work on integrating their expertise into a broad range of AMD’s future offerings for AI hardware.
Enosemi raised $150,000 in venture funding prior to this exit, with firms like New Mexico Vintage Fund among its early supporters. According to industry sources, Enosemi counted just 16 employees as of May, yet its work had already begun to influence AMD’s product roadmap.
Ari Novack now lists his role as a silicon design engineering fellow at AMD, reflecting the absorption of key leadership into the larger organization. AMD is leveraging talent and technology from this silicon photonics acquisition in its ongoing strategy to compete in the intensifying AI chip market.
This marks AMD’s first pickup since its $4.9 billion agreement to buy ZT Systems, a company whose server business AMD moved to divest for $3 billion shortly after. The flurry of deals signals a period of aggressive expansion and increased focus on AI hardware for AMD.
Company chief Lisa Su reported that AMD’s AI chip revenue hit the $5 billion mark so far this year, underscoring the importance of acquisitions like Enosemi for maintaining a lead in the global pursuit of high performance AI systems.
