AI Infrastructure
Netris secures $15M from a16z to streamline AI infrastructure setup
Network automation startup Netris raised Series A funding to help emerging cloud providers accelerate deployment of GPU clusters for AI workloads.
TechCrunch — AI
Network automation startup Netris has closed a $15 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz to help emerging cloud operators stand up AI infrastructure faster.
The problem it solves is real: even with GPUs and hardware secured, configuring and deploying a data center for AI services takes months—and every day of delay means costly compute sitting idle. Netris' software runs on network switches and abstracts hardware configuration, enabling multi-tenancy while automating the setup and operational tasks that would otherwise require armies of engineers.
A niche solution for neocloud operators#
Legacy cloud providers like AWS and Google built internal tools to handle these challenges at scale. Startups launching new AI clouds lack those resources. Netris CEO Alex Saroyan emphasized that traditional software-defined networking (SDN) falls short for AI workloads: "For AI, software is not okay, because the amount of traffic is so high, everything must be hardware accelerated."
The company has already gained traction—Nvidia recommended it to customers two years ago, and Netris now runs at over 35 GPU clusters globally, serving firms like Lightning AI, Foxconn, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and TensorWave.
Interestingly, Netris doesn't use AI itself. Saroyan noted the team relies on deterministic algorithms developed years ago. "You don't need to be creative," he explained. "You need to be very persistent and repeatable" when reconfiguring thousands of switches.
a16z partner Guido Appenzeller is joining the board. Netris plans to hire engineers and sales staff, expand hardware vendor support, and refine its automation algorithms.
