CIMware, a data centre infrastructure startup, has raised $2.3 million in its maiden institutional funding round led by Transition VC.
The funds will be used “to create a commercially viable networking smart switch (hardware production)”, to hire a software team, and cover operating expenses, CIMware founder and chief executive Rajiv Ganth said.
The proposed smart switch will increase a data centre’s “capacity and capability by four to eight times, using our memory-based connection technology,” he told ET.
Started in 2022, Bengaluru-based CIMware is building a composable infrastructure switch that combines compute, storage, and networking at the rack level. It is meant for data centres used by cloud services, video-streaming platforms, social media, and similar infrastructure.
“We are essentially coming up with a different kind of technology that helps all the server CPUs connect,” Ganth said. “We unite them through memory…which is the basic unit for any computing engine,” he explained.
The product is expected to be rolled out in a data centre within the next nine months, he said.
“We will initially produce a maximum of 80 to 100 units of CIMs (composable infrastructure module), and later, based on demand, we will manufacture thousands of switches,” he added.
The deep tech company also plans to work on product engineering and technology, focusing on faster deployment and building full-stack support — from compute to storage.
CIMware will focus on direct sales in India and the US. It is actively onboarding partners and distributors in the US and Europe, and plans to strengthen its presence in AI-focused data centres, telecom networks, and enterprise cloud systems over the next two years.
“All over the world, there is huge demand for cloud infrastructure, with America being number one when it comes to technological implementation and innovation. Our initial focus will be on the US, UK, Japan, and South Korea. We will start our sales initiatives in these four countries in about six months,” Ganth said.
The early stage startup is targeting a revenue of $175 million by 2026–27.
Commenting on the investment, Shoeb Ali, cofounder and managing partner of Transition VC said, “Data centres have become increasingly power and energy hungry due to the rising demand for artificial intelligence and data-intensive applications. They face challenges related to physical space, power supply, and outdated infrastructure.”
