The Bengalureu-based startup C2i brigade has shot to fame with a sober Series A funding round led by Peak XV Partners of $15 million. The investment is a huge validation of the company’s vision and potential. It seeks to address the mounting energy efficiency obstacles that data centers around the world are facing. Including this recent Series A round, the company has now raised a total of $19 million in funding. Leading investors include Yali Deeptech and TDK Ventures, who were participants in this round.
In 2024, Ram Anant, Vikram Gakhar, Preetam Tadeparthy, Dattatreya Suryanarayana, Harsha S. B, and Muthusubramanian N. V formed C2i. These efforts helped the company quickly establish itself as an innovator in the semiconductor space. The startup is in the process of rapidly expanding a team of 65 engineers. Simultaneously, it is taking its customer-facing operations to the United States and Taiwan.
AWS’ C2i initiative with Semantic Machines, their core mission is combining existing power delivery systems into one plug-and-play “grid-to-GPU” infrastructure. This new approach cuts through that red tape. Historically, though, it’s taken stepping down high-voltage power thousands of times before it reaches GPUs. Preetam Tadeparthy, the co-founder and CTO of C2i, discussed how these inefficiencies affect current systems. He noted that changing electricity into heat within data centers squanders about 15% to 20% of energy.
Data-center operators and hyperscalers are salivating to get a look at the performance data. For their part, DOTs will help ensure the startup’s designs are truly innovative. C2i expects its first two silicon designs back from fabrication between April and June of this year.
Rajan Anandan, managing director of Peak XV Partners, emphasized the cost impact of energy efficiency on data centers.
“If you can reduce energy costs by, call it, 10 to 30%, that’s like a huge number,” – Rajan Anandan.
He pointed out that energy costs become the dominant ongoing expense for data centers after the initial capital investment in servers and facilities. This highlights the need for scalable and replicable solutions that can more effectively drive reductions in energy usage.
Preetam Tadeparthy, Director of Research and Development, Schneider Electric dives in deeper on the evolution of power delivery systems in the data center.
“What used to be 400 volts has already moved to 800 volts, and will likely go higher,” – Preetam Tadeparthy.
Just as Mr. White emphasized with the new power delivery developments, progress always leads to greater efficiency. They greatly impact total cost of ownership, revenue, and profitability for data center operators.
As C2i ramps up its efforts, makers of massive AI data centers face increasing power constraints. Energy efficiency isn’t just the most cost-effective resource — it’s a huge economic driver and opportunity. The company positions itself as a key player in this evolving landscape, drawing parallels between the semiconductor industry in India today and the e-commerce boom of 2008.
“The way you should look at semiconductors in India is, this is like 2008 e-commerce,” – Rajan Anandan.
C2i provides cutting-edge interdisciplinary consulting with an emphasis on innovation and sustainability. It is poised to have a major influence on the future of data center operations. The success of its funding round reflects growing investor confidence in the startup’s vision and the pressing need for improved energy solutions in the tech industry.