French startup AlpSemi has raised €17 million ($19.5m) to support the development of its next-generation power switches.

The round was led by Yotta Capital and saw participation from SE Ventures, Navitas Semiconductor, and Cycle Group.

Founded in 2024 by the company’s respective CEO and CTO, Frédéric Dupont and Fabrice Letertre, Grenoble-based AlpSemi develops wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor power switches for AI data centers and electrical grids. Wide- and ultra-wide-bandgap materials are more energy-efficient than traditional silicon, meaning they can offer improved performance in energy-constrained environments.

In a statement, AlpSemi said the funds raised would be used to support the commercialization of its power switches, which have been purpose-built for solid-state circuit breakers in residential and commercial buildings and 800V direct current AI data centers.

“This financing positions AlpSemi to emerge as a leading global industrial player in power electronics,” said Dupont. “Our ambition is clear: accelerate the semiconductor roadmap required to enable the large-scale deployment of solid-state circuit breakers. In doing so, we are contributing to safer, smarter, and more efficient power protection and conversion architectures globally.”

Letertre added: “Our end-to-end engineering approach allows us to move beyond incremental improvements and fundamentally redefine power protection technologies. Our wide and ultra-wide bandgap technologies are inherently scalable across the entire semiconductor value chain, enabling a fast solid-state circuit breaker market development.”