Orbital Industries Raises $50 Million Series B to Commercialize 2 AI-Designed Data Center Products
Updated
Updated · Fortune · May 28
Orbital Industries Raises $50 Million Series B to Commercialize 2 AI-Designed Data Center Products
9 articles · Updated · Fortune · May 28
$50 million in new funding will help Orbital Industries scale rollout of a PFAS-free cooling fluid and modular data center units, while expanding its 50-person team.
Plural led the Series B, with Nvidia’s Nventures and existing backers joining as Orbital pushes a vertically integrated model—selling materials and hardware directly rather than licensing discoveries.
Orbital says its Orb model can simulate 100,000 atoms on a single GPU and helped identify a new coolant in months, versus what CEO Jonathan Godwin said would traditionally take 10 years and $100 million.
The cooling fluid is now being qualified with major chip providers and paired with a refrigeration system targeted to ship with next-generation GPUs in 2027; the modular data center product is pitched as deployable in six months versus up to three years conventionally.
The raise lands as AI-materials startups attract larger rounds, but Orbital is betting that data-center bottlenecks in heat, energy and infrastructure will create a faster path from AI discovery to industrial revenue.
Is Orbital's high-risk vertical integration model a brilliant strategic moat or a fatal flaw for an AI startup?
With the EU AI Act looming, can Orbital's platform defend against critical threats like model poisoning and theft?
Orbital Industries Raises $50M to Accelerate AI-Powered Material Discovery and Modular Data Center Deployment
Overview
Orbital Industries, a London-based company, recently secured $50 million in Series B funding led by Plural partner Ian Hogarth, marking a major milestone and reflecting strong investor confidence. The company is recognized for its innovative use of AI to design and manufacture industrial hardware, directly addressing key physical challenges in AI development such as power, cooling, and deployment speed in data centers. By leveraging advanced AI-driven material discovery, Orbital Industries aims to overcome real capacity obstacles in the AI sector, positioning itself as a leader in creating solutions that enable faster and more efficient AI infrastructure.