The company is developing graphene-based photonics technology for scalable, faster and cheaper optical devices that send and receive data, an advance that could become a core enabling technology for next generation 5G networks and beyond. Other applications will include 6G mmWave which will allow data to be transferred at speeds up to 1Tbit/s. Current versions of the technology have indicated speeds of up to 100Gbps per LANE and operation across multiple wavebands. According to the Wealth Club, their speed is about twice that achieved in laboratory conditions by equivalent technologies, while it is projected that they consume 70 per cent less energy.
Proceeds from the latest funding round will be used to complete fabrication and testing of the demonstration devices. The technology is said to have attracted interest from major multinationals in the semiconductor and telecommunications sectors and customer testing is expected to begin in September 2022.
In a statement, Alex Davies, CEO and founder of Wealth Club said: “[CamGraPhIC] has the potential to be a leading manufacturer of next-generation optical devices for use in global 5G markets. While still under development, the products appear to be delivering performance at low cost and have achieved key milestones since the last funding round. The company has a compelling mix of stakeholders – strong academics, strategic investors and management with close links to major industrial partners.”
It is estimated that by 2023 there will be over 29 billion internet-connected devices in use globally. As internet use continues to grow exponentially, mobile networks are adopting 5G to accommodate the escalating surge in data traffic, which is predicted to bottleneck as early as next year. This university spin out is aiming to address the issue by developing next-generation graphene/silicon chips that it believes could become a core technology enabling new telecom and datacom devices to operate at the ultra-high speeds and bandwidths demanded by 5G.
The latest funding takes the company’s total amount raised to £1.26m, which has been raised through an equity funding round from existing and new investors led by Frontier IP and Wealth Club. A previous funding round in September 2021 raised £1.6m, valuing the Company at £7.2m.
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