Indian Startup C2i Raises $15M to Improve Power Efficiency in AI Data Centers

C2i's 'grid-to-GPU' power delivery system aims to cut energy losses and boost economics of large-scale AI infrastructure.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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C2i Semiconductors, an Indian startup building plug-and-play power solutions for AI data centers, has raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners. The startup's 'grid-to-GPU' approach is designed to reduce power losses and improve the economics of scaling AI infrastructure as data centers face growing energy demands.

Why it matters

Power consumption is becoming a major bottleneck for the growth of AI data centers, with electricity usage projected to nearly triple by 2035. C2i's technology aims to address this challenge by improving power delivery efficiency and reducing energy losses, which could have significant cost savings for data center operators.

The details

C2i's co-founder and CTO Preetam Tadeparthy says the startup is redesigning power delivery as a single, plug-and-play 'grid-to-GPU' system to cut end-to-end power losses by around 10%. This could save roughly 100 kilowatts for every megawatt consumed, with knock-on effects for cooling costs, GPU utilization, and overall data center economics. C2i expects to validate performance with data center operators and hyperscalers after its first two silicon designs return from fabrication between April and June 2026.

  • C2i was founded in 2024 by former Texas Instruments power executives.
  • C2i expects its first two silicon designs to return from fabrication between April and June 2026.
  • The startup plans to validate performance with data center operators and hyperscalers after its silicon designs return from fabrication.

The players

C2i Semiconductors

An Indian startup building plug-and-play power solutions for AI data centers, founded in 2024 by former Texas Instruments power executives.

Peak XV Partners

The venture capital firm that led C2i's $15 million Series A round, formed in 2023 after splitting from Sequoia Capital.

Preetam Tadeparthy

The co-founder and CTO of C2i Semiconductors.

Rajan Anandan

The managing director of Peak XV Partners.

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What they’re saying

“What used to be 400 volts has already moved to 800 volts, and will likely go higher.”

— Preetam Tadeparthy, Co-founder and CTO, C2i Semiconductors (TechCrunch)

“If you can reduce energy costs by, call it, 10 to 30%, that's like a huge number. You're talking about tens of billions of dollars.”

— Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Peak XV Partners (TechCrunch)

What’s next

C2i expects to validate performance of its first two silicon designs with data center operators and hyperscalers after the designs return from fabrication between April and June 2026.

The takeaway

As AI data centers face growing power demands, C2i's 'grid-to-GPU' power delivery system aims to significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce the overall cost of scaling large-scale AI infrastructure, which could have major implications for the economics of the industry.