The News

Ethernovia’s $90M Series B confirms the capital rotation from Generative AI software to “Physical AI” infrastructure, specifically the deterministic networking required to make autonomous systems actually work.

The Situation

Ethernovia (San Jose) has secured $90M in Series B funding led by Maverick Silicon, with participation from Porsche SE and Qualcomm Ventures. While the 2023-2025 cycle obsessed over LLMs, Ethernovia focused on the unglamorous “nervous system” of autonomous machines: Ethernet-based packet processors built on 7nm process technology.

The critical bottleneck in autonomous vehicles (AVs) and advanced robotics isn’t just computation, it’s data transport. Modern SDVs (Software-Defined Vehicles) generate terabytes of sensor data per hour that must move with deterministic latency. Legacy Controller Area Network (CAN) buses cannot handle this load, and enterprise Ethernet lacks the safety-critical determinism required for ISO 26262 compliance. Ethernovia’s silicon solves this by delivering high-bandwidth (10G to 1G) data transport over a simplified “single cable” architecture, effectively replacing the heavy, complex wiring harnesses that currently plague automotive manufacturing.

Why It Matters

  • The “Physical AI” Pivot: Investors are seeking the infrastructure layer for the next wave of AI—systems that move. Maverick Silicon’s involvement (a new fund from Maverick Capital) signals high conviction that value is shifting from pure software models to the specialized silicon required for embodied intelligence.
  • Zonal Architecture Wins: The auto industry is transitioning from domain-based architectures (separate ECUs for brakes, windows, engine) to zonal architectures (centralized compute with high-speed links). Ethernovia is the “plumbing” enabling this shift. Without this connectivity, centralized compute cannot function safely.
  • Commoditizing the Edge: By pushing Ethernet into the vehicle, Ethernovia accelerates the standardization of robotics networking. This erodes the moat of proprietary interconnects used by legacy industrial players, forcing a market convergence around standard, high-speed Ethernet.

Founder Action

  • Audit Your Interconnects: If you are building hardware-dependent AI (robotics, drones, AVs), audit your data transport stack. If you are still relying on CAN bus or custom proprietary cabling for high-bandwidth sensor data, you are building technical debt.
  • Monitor “Maverick Silicon”: This is a signal flare. Watch where Maverick Silicon deploys next; they are building a portfolio around the enablers of AI ubiquity (silicon, interconnects, power), not just the applications.
  • Expect Consolidation: The sheer capital intensity of 7nm silicon development ($150M+ raised by Ethernovia to date) means this is a “winner-take-most” market. Expect smaller connectivity players to be acquired by Broadcom, Marvell, or NXP as the Zonal Architecture standardizes.