UK-based photonic networking startup Oriole Networks has announced the first commercial deployment of a large-scale AI system built on a pure photonic network. The system, developed in collaboration with Advanced Micro Devices Inc., is part of the UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency's (ARIA) Scaling Inference Lab, a £50 million testbed designed to overcome bottlenecks in large-scale AI workloads.
Oriole's PRISM platform routes data as photons instead of electrical signals, replacing electronic switches with nanosecond-scale optical circuit switching. AMD provides the Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs, and technical support.
Conventional data center networks rely on electrical switches that consume significant power and generate heat. Oriole says its approach cuts core power consumption by 81% and reduces GPU idle time from about 60% to less than 1%. The system also lowers cooling demands and water use.
PRISM is vendor-neutral, running across accelerator platforms, a key advantage for customers avoiding proprietary networking stacks. The company's designs are set for wider industrial rollout in 2027.
Founded in 2023 as a University College London spinout, Oriole has raised approximately $35 million from investors including Plural UK, UCL Technology Fund, Clean Growth Fund, XTX Ventures, and Dorilton Ventures.