Morphotonics closes €40M+ Series B to tackle AI devices’ hidden manufacturing bottleneck

Netherlands-based deeptech firm Morphotonics has secured over €40 million in Series B funding to bolster its manufacturing technology for AI devices, including glasses, augmented reality systems and advanced photonic components. The investment round includes continued support from 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries and BOM, alongside new backers Invest-NL, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Ernij Next and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Morphotonics specializes in large-area nanoimprint lithography platforms aimed at manufacturing optical components at scale. The company's focus lies in waveguides, transparent optical components essential for projecting digital images into a wearer's field of vision, commonly used in AI glasses and spatial-computing devices. Scaling waveguide production to consumer-electronics levels remains a challenge due to slow, costly and adaptable methods.

Morphotonics' technology addresses this by replicating micro- and nanoscale structures across large substrates using a mould to press nano- and microscopic patterns into a liquid resin coating, which is then hardened with UV light, enabling high-precision replication of patterns across extensive surfaces.

The company's Cypris platform, specifically designed for high-volume waveguide manufacturing, has seen continuous development over the past year. Morphotonics is currently collaborating with device and component manufacturers in China, Taiwan, the US and Europe as they work on production processes for AI glasses and other optical systems.

CEO Hugo da Silva emphasized the urgency of this technology, stating that AI glasses and similar devices cannot achieve mass adoption unless their optical components can be manufactured at consumer-electronics scale.

With the new funding, Morphotonics plans to expand its production capacity for the Cypris platform, advance product development and expand its engineering, commercial and customer-support teams. The company will also strengthen its supplier and manufacturing networks and enhance its after-sales infrastructure to support its growing customer base.