Network-automation startup Netris has secured $15 million in a Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The company says its software and platform accelerate and simplify the process of bringing GPU-backed neoclouds online, reducing the time needed to configure, operate and launch data-center services.
What problem the company addresses
Netris offers software that runs on network switches alongside a platform that connects to those switches to automate setup, configuration and operations. The platform provides network abstraction so hardware configurations can be changed as needed, and it isolates servers and resources at the hardware layer to support multi-tenancy.
The startup notes that large infrastructure operators such as Equinix, NTT, Digital Realty, Oracle, Microsoft, AWS and Google have largely solved these problems internally by hiring engineers or building bespoke automation. Smaller neocloud operators usually lack similar resources, and delays in bringing facilities online increase costs because expensive GPUs can sit idle.
Hardware-accelerated approach
Alex Saroyan, CEO of Netris, says traditional software-defined networking (SDN) falls short for AI workloads because the traffic volumes require hardware acceleration. He describes Netris’ solution as providing SDN-like capabilities that are fully hardware-accelerated; the company has been developing this approach for eight years.
The platform is vendor-agnostic and compatible with networking equipment and standards used in data centers, and it supports both Nvidia and AMD servers.
Deployments and customers
According to Netris, its technology is live at more than 35 GPU clusters around the world — covering roughly one million GPUs in total. Customers and operators using the system include Lightning AI, Foxconn, Visionbay, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, TensorWave and Telus.
Nvidia reportedly recommended Netris to several customers after being impressed by a demonstration two years ago.
Funding use and governance
The $15 million Series A was led by Andreessen Horowitz. As part of the round, a16z partner Guido Appenzeller will join Netris’ board.
Netris plans to use the funding to hire additional engineers and sales staff, add support for more hardware vendors, and expand functionality in its algorithms. The company emphasizes that it does not rely on AI for its automation: it uses previously developed, deterministic algorithms to run configuration and operations—approaches the company says are better suited to making persistent, repeatable changes across thousands of switch configurations.
Why this matters
By reducing the time and operational complexity of bringing GPU-focused neocloud services online—particularly for AI inference and training—Netris aims to lower the barrier for smaller providers to enter the market without building large in-house network engineering teams. If the platform performs as claimed, it could enable more competitive, GPU-centric cloud offerings from smaller operators.
