FotoNation announced the completion of a Pre-A financing round led by Enterprise Ireland and Silicon Gardens to support development of its TriSilica ultra-low-power perception AI chip platform. The financing round also included participation from additional angel investors. The company said the new capital will accelerate development of its TriSilica product line and fund completion of its MPW prototype chip, TS-210.
FotoNation develops low-power AI semiconductor technologies focused on perceptual AI processing and edge computing applications. The company said its TriSilica chip platform is designed to deliver perception AI capabilities with extremely low power consumption for next-generation edge devices and AI companion systems.
According to FotoNation, the company has regained market traction since its reorganization during the third quarter of 2024, securing multiple design wins and rebuilding its position in ultra-low-power perceptual AI solutions.
The company’s TriSense IP core combines neural image signal processing, sensor fusion, and AI-powered perceptual cognition technologies under constrained power environments. FotoNation said the TriSilica chip family also incorporates high-capacity bonded memory architectures designed for production-scale silicon deployment.
FotoNation said its technologies have been embedded in more than four billion products worldwide and contributed to numerous semiconductor tape-outs across consumer electronics and edge AI markets.
Silicon Gardens said FotoNation’s technology is positioned to support emerging AI hardware categories focused on privacy-aware on-device intelligence and multimodal sensing applications.
Enterprise Ireland said the investment aligns with efforts to strengthen Ireland’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystem while supporting high-value technology jobs and global expansion.
FotoNation is headquartered in Galway, Ireland, with an additional development center in Brașov, Romania.
KEY QUOTES:
“This investment, from a leading European VC as well as from the Irish Government, marks a pivotal moment for our company. On behalf of the management team, I thank our investors for their shared conviction in our long-term potential, cementing FotoNation as a leader in the European AI hardware race.”
Petronel Bigioi, CEO, FotoNation
“FotoNation is building ultra-efficient, hardware-accelerated edge AI that fuses vision and multimodal sensing on device. Their technical depth and focus on privacy-aware experiences position them to help define the post-smartphone era of AI companions, from Physical AI to perceptual intelligence.”
Gregor Rebolj, Managing Partner, Silicon Gardens
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support FotoNation’s next phase of growth, reinforcing Ireland’s advanced technology and semiconductor ecosystem. This investment underscores our commitment to helping ambitious Irish companies scale globally, create high-value jobs across all regions, and build long-term economic resilience. We look forward to working closely with FotoNation as it seeks to expand internationally.”
Leo McAdams, Head Of Advanced Manufacturing And Lifesciences, Enterprise Ireland
