C

CScale

Optical interconnects for large-scale AI infrastructure

Package Design & Layout Engineer

Full-TimeUpdated
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's, Master's
Taiwan
In Person
Hardware Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • A BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical background.
  • At least 6 years of IC package physical design experience, including at least one product taken from concept through tape-out and a volume-relevant build.
  • Expert-level proficiency with a package layout tool such as Cadence Allegro Package Designer, APD+, SiP, Siemens Xpedition Package Designer, Synopsys IC Package, or equivalent.
  • Demonstrated experience with multi-die packaging using 2D or 2.5D/3D integration.
  • Working fluency with multi-layer organic substrate construction and understanding of how material and stack-up choices constrain routing.
  • Practical experience closing DFM/DFA with external substrate suppliers and OSATs.
  • Comfort working in English across a distributed team and multiple time zones.
Responsibilities
  • Deliver RDL/UBM and package substrate layouts for optical engine products and test vehicles, from floorplan through tape-out.
  • Define and release bump maps, ball maps, and escape routing strategies for multi-die assemblies comprising PIC, EIC, and light source die.
  • Design to 200G/lane-class electrical requirements, including differential pair routing, reference-plane integrity, crosstalk isolation, and power delivery for high-current, low-noise rails.
  • Produce preliminary floorplans and stack-up proposals from the concept phase, reconciling electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical constraints before they are frozen.
  • Iterate with SI/PI engineers on test routes to converge routing topologies and design rules.
  • Work directly with wafer fabs, substrate suppliers, and OSATs to capture and negotiate design rules, stack-ups, and assembly constraints.
  • Generate fab and assembly release packages; drive DFM/DFA closure and design reviews through sign-off.
  • Flag rule conflicts early and propose alternatives rather than silently routing around them.
  • Run and own physical verification, including DRC, connectivity/LVS-style netlist checks, and cross-domain consistency between die, package, substrate, and board.
  • Manage netlists for heterogeneous assemblies across revisions and product variants.
  • Build scripted automation using SKILL, Python, or equivalent for repetitive layout, checking, and release tasks.
  • Support test vehicle definition, first builds, bring-up, failure analysis, and yield learning, including layout changes driven by assembly reality.
Desired Qualifications
  • Demonstrated experience with advanced packaging, including 2.5D/3D integration, RDL, TSV interposers, fan-out, microbump, or Cu-pillar flip-chip.
  • Experience laying out 112G/224G SerDes or comparable high-speed interfaces; familiarity with signal and power integrity workflows such as Cadence Sigrity/PowerSI or Ansys.
  • Familiarity with mask and RDL vendor flows, GDS-based layout environments such as Virtuoso or KLayout, and AutoCAD file exchange.
  • Experience with package/IC co-design environments such as Cadence Integrity 3D-IC.
  • Scripting for design automation and rule checking.
  • Experience at a startup or on a first-of-its-kind product where design rules did not yet exist.

About the company

C

CScale

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CScale builds optical interconnects for large-scale AI computing. Its integrated light engines power gigawatt-scale AI facilities by containing optical failures and keeping compute running across thousands of closely connected accelerators. The hardware provides high-bandwidth, ultra-low-latency optical links to connect accelerators across racks, making data movement between chips dependable for continuous AI workloads. Unlike many data-center components that rely on electronic signaling, CScale focuses on silicon photonics and photonic hardware to deliver scalable, reliable communication at scale. Founded in 2023 in Palo Alto, the company exited stealth in 2026 and has investors including NVIDIA and Intel Capital. Its goal is to enable uninterrupted AI training and inference across large AI infrastructure by delivering dependable optical interconnects that scale as data-center needs grow.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series C

Total Funding

$145M

Headquarters

Palo Alto, null

Founded

2023

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Company News

The Leaders Globe Media
Oct 5th, 2026
CScale's $145 million funding backs new Optical AI Networking technology.

CScale's $145 million funding backs new Optical AI Networking technology. Nvidia and Intel Support CScale's Push into Optical AI Networking Quick summary. CScale has raised $145 million in venture funding to develop advanced AI networking technology for data centers. The Silicon Valley startup has received backing from Nvidia and Intel as demand grows for faster and more efficient connections between AI processors. CScale aims to replace traditional copper connections with optical technology that can support longer-distance data transmission. Its approach integrates lasers with chips while maintaining data flow even when individual lasers experience failures. The company has raised $188 million overall and plans to begin shipping its chips in 2028. Introduction. CScale raises $145 million for AI networking as the artificial intelligence industry continues demanding faster connections between increasingly powerful processors. The Silicon Valley startup is developing optical connectivity technology designed to connect AI chips using laser-based data transmission rather than traditional copper connections. Nvidia and Intel backed the latest financing, highlighting the growing industry focus on optical infrastructure for AI data centers. CScale operates under the leadership of CEO Martin Lund, who previously oversaw chip and hardware systems at Cisco before joining the startup earlier this year. CScale raises $145 million for AI Networking. CScale raised $145 million through its latest venture funding round, bringing the company's total funding to $188 million since its formation. Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners, and Premji Invest led the financing, while existing investors Sutter Hill Ventures and Maverick Silicon also participated in the round. The new funding will support CScale's efforts to develop and commercialize its optical connectivity technology as AI infrastructure companies seek faster and more flexible ways to connect high-performance processors. Nvidia and Intel's involvement also reflects the increasing attention surrounding optical networking solutions for future AI computing systems. Optical connections address AI server limitations. AI data centers require increasingly powerful networking connections because modern processors must exchange huge volumes of information at very high speeds. Traditional copper cables remain widely used because they provide reliable data transmission, but their effective reach creates challenges when processors need connections across greater distances. Chip designers have therefore placed powerful processors closer together inside servers, although this arrangement can increase heat generation and create additional cooling requirements. Optical connections offer another approach because they use flashes of laser light to transmit information, potentially allowing data to travel farther across increasingly demanding AI infrastructure. CScale targets laser reliability challenges. Optical networking offers important advantages, yet laser reliability remains a major challenge for companies developing next-generation connectivity systems. Many industry players keep lasers separate from processing chips because individual laser failures can otherwise affect the overall connection. CScale is taking a different approach by integrating lasers directly with its chips while designing the system to maintain data transmission when lasers fail. CEO Martin Lund has provided limited technical details, although he said CScale combines established technologies through a novel integration approach while continuing to use trusted fiber technology already used across the industry. CScale plans chip shipments for 2028. CScale plans to ship its chips in 2028 as it continues developing its optical AI networking technology for future data-center requirements. The company has not disclosed extensive technical details about its architecture, but Lund described its underlying technologies as proven components combined through a different integration method. This strategy allows CScale to focus on improving how optical connectivity works with AI processors rather than relying entirely on untested technologies. The planned 2028 shipments will mark an important stage in the company's efforts to bring its optical networking technology into commercial AI infrastructure. FAQs. 1. How much funding has CScale raised for AI networking? CScale has raised $188 million overall, including its latest $145 million venture funding round supporting optical AI networking technology. 2. Which companies backed CScale's latest funding round? Nvidia and Intel backed CScale's latest financing alongside Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners, Premji Invest, Sutter Hill Ventures, and Maverick Silicon. 3. What technology is CScale developing for AI networking? CScale is developing optical connectivity technology that integrates lasers with chips while maintaining data transmission when individual lasers experience failures. 4. Why is optical networking important for AI data centers? Optical networking can address distance limitations associated with copper connections while supporting the high-speed data movement required by increasingly powerful AI processors. 5. When does CScale plan to ship its AI networking chips? CScale plans to begin shipping its chips in 2028 as it moves toward commercializing its optical connectivity technology for AI infrastructure. Key takeaways. * CScale raised $145 million to develop optical networking technology for AI data centers. * Nvidia and Intel joined several investment firms in supporting the latest financing round. * CScale aims to address copper cable limitations affecting connections between AI processors. * Its technology integrates lasers with chips while supporting continued data transmission during failures. * CScale expects to begin shipping its AI networking chips commercially in 2028. Conclusion. CScale's $145 million funding round highlights the growing demand for advanced AI networking infrastructure as data centers deploy increasingly powerful processors. The company's optical connectivity approach focuses on replacing traditional copper connections while addressing reliability challenges associated with integrated lasers. With $188 million raised to date and planned chip shipments in 2028, CScale is continuing development toward the next generation of high-speed AI data-center connectivity.

StrategINK
Oct 1st, 2026
CScale raises $145 million to develop optical networking for AI infrastructure.

CScale raises $145 million to develop optical networking for AI infrastructure. October 1, 2026 Silicon Valley-based startup CScale has raised $145 million in venture capital to develop optical connectivity technology for artificial intelligence data-centre infrastructure, with Nvidia and Intel participating as strategic investors. The funding comes as AI infrastructure companies increasingly explore optical connections as an alternative to copper links used to connect chips inside data-centre servers. CScale is developing technology that uses fibre-optic connections to link AI chips and aims to address reliability challenges associated with optical networking. The company, formerly known as CSpeed, is led by CEO Martin Lund, who earlier this year left Cisco Systems, where he had been responsible for chip and hardware systems. CScale has disclosed limited technical details about its technology as it emerges from stealth. The latest financing round was led by Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners and Premji Invest. Existing investors Sutter Hill Ventures and Maverick Silicon also participated in the round. Nvidia and Intel joined the financing as strategic investors. CScale said its technology is designed to replace copper connections between AI chips with optical links. Copper connections are widely used because they are fast and reliable, but their limited reach can restrict how closely and efficiently processors can be connected inside AI servers. These limitations have contributed to chip designers such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices placing processors closer together within servers. The higher concentration of computing hardware can increase heat generation and require sophisticated liquid-cooling systems. Optical connections transmit data using flashes of laser light rather than electrons. Companies across the semiconductor and data-centre industries are investing in optical technologies, although laser reliability remains a challenge. CScale is working on an approach that integrates lasers onto chips while allowing data transmission to continue if a laser fails. Lund said the company is using established technologies and combining them in a different way. "We're not using any exotic technologies," Lund said. "We're using proven technologies, integrating them together in a novel way, but preserving the same trusted fibre technology that has been out there and shipping in the industry for many, many years now." CScale plans to ship its chips by 2028. The company has raised $188 million in total funding to date, including the latest financing. The new capital will support the development and commercialisation of its optical interconnect technology for AI infrastructure. CScale's technology is aimed at the growing requirements of AI computing systems, where large numbers of accelerators need high-bandwidth and low-latency connections to operate together. The company is developing optical interconnect technology intended to maintain connectivity even when individual optical components experience failures. The funding gives CScale additional backing from major semiconductor companies as it works toward commercialising its technology. With Nvidia and Intel among its strategic investors, the startup is developing its optical networking platform for the next generation of AI data-centre infrastructure. - Advertisement -

Business Wire
Sep 30th, 2026
CScale Exits Stealth With $145 Million to Build the Interconnect for Gigawatt-Scale AI

CScale launched, announcing $145 million in Series C funding to accelerate development and commercialization of optical interconnect for AI scale-up.

CScale
Sep 30th, 2026
CScale Exits Stealth With $145 Million to Build the Interconnect for Gigawatt-Scale AI — CScale

Backed by Atreides Management and Valor Equity Partners, Premji Invest, and Sutter Hill Ventures, CScale is building resilient optical interconnect for AI scale-up

DevCuration
Sep 30th, 2026
CScale company spotlight: reliable optics for AI scale-up.

CScale company spotlight: reliable optics for AI scale-up. CScale is building optical interconnect for AI scale-up, the tightly coupled communication layer that lets accelerators across multiple racks operate like one large computer. Led by CEO Martin Lund and founder and CTO Sanjai Kohli, the Palo Alto company is designing an integrated light engine around a simple systems reality: in a sufficiently large AI factory, optical failures are inevitable. The company's answer is not a promise that lasers never fail. CScale says its architecture is designed to contain a failure so the surrounding compute keeps working. That distinction matters because the cost of an interconnect problem is measured in idle accelerators, interrupted workloads, and expensive capacity that cannot do the job it was purchased to do. CScale exited stealth in September 2026 with $188M in reported funding and approximately 85 employees globally. Its current hiring spans chip design, lasers, packaging, systems software, and operations, showing how many engineering disciplines have to meet before an optical architecture becomes dependable infrastructure. About CScale. CScale was founded in 2023 by Sanjai Kohli and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company previously operated under the CSpeed and CSpeedIO names. CScale now lists a presence in Palo Alto, Athens, Bangalore, Taipei, and Shanghai, giving the young company an international footprint across several semiconductor and engineering hubs. The business is focused on AI scale-up connectivity. Scale-up systems connect processors closely enough to behave as a larger computing domain, rather than sending jobs between loosely connected machines. As those domains spread across dozens of racks and thousands of accelerators, the interconnect becomes part of the machine's economic core. CScale describes its product as an integrated light engine for reliable optical connectivity at gigawatt scale. The company has not disclosed the bandwidth, latency, power, packaging, manufacturing, or compatibility details needed for an independent product comparison. Its public thesis is narrower and more useful: optical links must preserve continuity when failures become ordinary fleet behavior. Why CScale matters right now. AI infrastructure is moving from individual servers toward factories built from processors, memory, networking, power, cooling, and software that must cooperate under sustained load. More accelerators do not automatically create more useful compute. The system earns its keep only when those accelerators remain connected and productive. That is why reliability changes the optical conversation. Bandwidth and reach remain essential, but they are not the whole commercial equation. If one failed component interrupts a wider scale-up domain, the damage is larger than the price of a replacement part. It reaches the utilization of the surrounding hardware and the schedule of the workloads running across it. CScale is trying to turn a laser failure into a contained event instead of a compute event. CEO Martin Lund told Reuters that the company intends to integrate lasers onto chips while maintaining data flow when a laser fails. Reuters also reported that CScale plans to ship chips in 2028, making the next phase a test of whether the architecture can survive qualification, manufacturing, and field conditions. Leadership built around systems and semiconductors. Martin Lund leads CScale after running Cisco's Common Hardware Group across silicon, hardware systems, and optics, including Silicon One. CScale also credits Lund with leading Metaswitch before its acquisition by Microsoft and with building Broadcom's switching business into a billion-dollar franchise. That background is relevant because CScale must translate technical architecture into a product that large infrastructure buyers can evaluate and trust. Sanjai Kohli, CScale's founder and CTO, previously co-founded SiRF, which helped bring GPS into mass-market devices. He later founded Inovi, acquired by Facebook in 2014, and received the 2010 European Inventor Award. Kohli's track record sits directly in the hard middle between communications engineering and commercial systems. The current CScale team page also shows operating depth across products, packaging, optics, mixed signal, system-on-chip design, systems software, and operations. That mix is less glamorous than a single product demo and more revealing. Optical-semiconductor businesses are coordination machines. Product design, packaging, reliability, software, supply chain, and customer qualification all have to arrive at the same time. Funding the move from architecture to product. CScale announced a $145M Series C on September 30, 2026, bringing its reported total funding to $188M. Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners, and Premji Invest co-led the round. Sutter Hill Ventures and Maverick Silicon continued their support, while NVIDIA and Intel Capital joined as CScale's first strategic investors. The investor group gives CScale financial runway and strategic proximity to the AI-compute ecosystem, but it does not prove customer adoption. The company has disclosed no named customer, production deployment, benchmark, or commercial agreement tied to the strategic investors. The Series C funds the work required to produce that evidence. Semiconductor commercialization moves through design validation, packaging, manufacturing readiness, interoperability, customer qualification, and field reliability. A strong architecture can still fail if any one of those stages arrives late or cannot hold up under volume. CScale's financing is large because the distance between a credible idea and trusted infrastructure is long. Hiring shows where the work is. CScale's careers page listed 20 open roles on September 30, 2026. The openings included 4 CMOS and electrical-chip positions, 3 laser roles, 8 packaging and operations roles, 4 systems and software roles, and 1 supply-chain position. Jobs were spread across Palo Alto, Bangalore, Athens, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Shijiazhuang. The distribution matters more than the count. CScale is not hiring only for one photonics breakthrough. It is staffing verification, package design, fiber-array integration, thermal simulation, CAD and IT, software, printed-circuit-board validation, and supply-chain execution. That is the operating map of a company trying to make a complex hardware system manufacturable and supportable. Hiring does not establish customer demand or production readiness, and CScale has not claimed either publicly. It does show where management believes the bottlenecks sit. The company is adding people across the interfaces where a lab design has to become repeatable hardware. What CScale still has to prove. CScale's public case begins with a sound systems observation: fleet-scale reliability cannot be reduced to the reliability of one component. The harder proof will be quantitative. Infrastructure buyers will need evidence that the architecture contains failures under realistic conditions, meets performance and power requirements, integrates into target systems, and can be produced consistently. The company has not disclosed named customers, design wins, commercial deployments, revenue, valuation, performance benchmarks, or manufacturing partners. Those omissions do not defeat the thesis, but they define the diligence still ahead. CScale's planned 2028 shipment target leaves a meaningful execution window between today's financing and tomorrow's field data. The wider signal is that AI infrastructure is becoming a continuity business. Compute density attracts the headlines, while uptime, serviceability, power, and network behavior determine whether the capital earns a return. CScale is betting that optical interconnect will be judged not only by how fast it moves data, but by how quietly it contains the failures that operators know will come. That is a demanding place to build a company. It is also where infrastructure value tends to hide: inside the component nobody notices because the system kept working. DevCuration Data AI Infrastructure funding, last 30 days. DevCuration's funding database tracked 31 AI Infrastructure rounds totaling $15.1B in disclosed capital over the past 30 days. Recent deals DevCuration covered: