Netris Raises $15M to Speed Up AI Data Center Launches

Network automation startup Netris has secured $15 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as demand for AI-focused cloud infrastructure continues to grow rapidly.

The surge in artificial intelligence has fueled a wave of new “neocloud” providers looking to build data centers for AI model training and inference. However, launching these facilities involves far more than simply acquiring powerful GPUs. Operators must also configure networking, storage, and infrastructure before they can begin serving customers—a process that can take several months and leave expensive hardware sitting idle.

Netris believes it has the solution.

The company develops software that runs directly on network switches while also providing a management platform that automates network setup, configuration, and day-to-day operations. By reducing manual work, Netris helps AI cloud providers get their infrastructure online much faster.

Its platform also simplifies hardware management by allowing operators to modify network configurations without disrupting services. In addition, it enables hardware-level isolation of servers and resources, making it easier for AI cloud providers to support multiple customers securely through multi-tenancy.

According to Netris CEO Alex Saroyan, traditional software-defined networking (SDN) solutions are no longer sufficient for modern AI workloads.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Saroyan explained that AI data centers generate extremely high network traffic, making software-based networking too slow for today’s GPU clusters. Instead, Netris delivers hardware-accelerated networking automation designed specifically for AI infrastructure.

“We’ve been building this technology for eight years,” Saroyan said, adding that GPU cluster operators constantly need to update and optimize thousands of network connections.

Another advantage of the platform is its vendor-neutral approach. Netris supports networking equipment used alongside both Nvidia and AMD servers, allowing customers to avoid being locked into a single hardware ecosystem.

The startup has already gained strong industry validation. Two years ago, Nvidia was impressed enough by a demonstration of Netris’ technology that it recommended the company to several of its customers.

Today, Netris says its platform is deployed across more than 35 GPU clusters worldwide, supporting roughly one million GPUs. Its customer list includes Lightning AI, Foxconn, Visionbay, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, TensorWave, Telus, and several other organizations operating AI infrastructure.

The latest funding round reflects growing investor confidence in the company’s technology. Andreessen Horowitz led the $15 million Series A investment, and partner Guido Appenzeller will join Netris’ board of directors.

Despite operating in the AI infrastructure market, Netris says it does not rely on generative AI to automate its networking platform.

Saroyan explained that the company instead uses deterministic algorithms developed over many years because network automation requires consistency and predictable execution rather than creativity.

“AI is great for creative work,” he said, “but configuring thousands of network switches requires repeatable, reliable operations.”

Looking ahead, Netris plans to use the new capital to expand its engineering and sales teams, add support for additional hardware vendors, and continue improving its automation algorithms. As AI cloud providers race to deploy new GPU infrastructure, the company aims to become a key technology partner that helps them reach customers more quickly while maximizing the value of their hardware investments.

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