Last Updated: 23 June 2026
AlpSemi, a startup based in Grenoble, France, builds chips that act as switches inside circuit breakers. The company is betting that the way buildings and data centers manage electricity is about to change. It is led by chief executive Frédéric Dupont and chief technology officer Fabrice Letertre. Instead of relying on the moving metal parts found in today's breakers, their chips let a circuit breaker switch power on and off digitally.
That distinction matters more than it might sound. The way data centers use electricity is changing quickly, largely because of AI. Running AI systems takes enormous amounts of power, and that is pushing data centers toward higher-voltage direct current, or DC, systems, which can move electricity more efficiently than the setups used today. Major electrical and data center vendors are now building toward systems that run on 800 volts of DC power. According to IEEE Spectrum, the industry is still working out how to retool its manufacturing and supply chains to support equipment built for that voltage.
This week, AlpSemi announced it has raised €17 million. The round was led by the French investment firm Yotta Capital. SE Ventures, the venture arm linked to Schneider Electric, also took part, along with Navitas Semiconductor and Cycle Group, a firm based in Luxembourg.
Circuit breakers exist to protect homes, offices, and factories. When something goes wrong, like a short circuit, they cut the power before it causes damage. For more than a hundred years, that job has belonged to mechanical switches, the kind that physically snap open the moment they sense trouble. Solid-state circuit breakers replace those moving parts with semiconductors instead.
The advantage is speed. Semiconductors react far faster than a mechanical switch, and they can be controlled and checked remotely, in some ways similar to a smart home device. That combination is why this approach is getting attention now.
It fits two trends happening at the same time. Buildings are adding more solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers, all of which need power that can be managed flexibly and digitally. Meanwhile, data centers are looking for ways to handle the surge in electricity demand created by AI. According to Lean Research, 15 to 25 percent of data centers could be running on 800V DC architecture by 2030. Reaching that scale will require protection equipment built specifically for the job.
"The rapid electrification of buildings, AI infrastructure and industrial systems is driving demand for smarter, highly scalable power protection. AlpSemi uniquely addresses this transition with a breakthrough semiconductor platform designed for industrial deployment at scale. The company sits at the intersection of next-generation electrical infrastructure, efficiency, and semiconductor innovation, fully aligned with our investment strategy focused on low-carbon industrial enablers."
Vincent Deltrieu, Managing Partner at Yotta Capital
The new money will go toward two things. First, scaling up production of AlpSemi's existing product. Second, continuing work on more advanced chips meant for AI data centers. The company's first commercial product is called AS800, a power switch built for circuit breakers used in standard 110-volt and 230-volt wiring, the kind found in most homes and commercial buildings. It was developed with international manufacturing partners and is now moving toward larger-scale production, which this funding is meant to support.
Beyond AS800, AlpSemi is working on components built for 800-volt DC systems, the higher-voltage setup increasingly used in AI data centers. That is a harder engineering problem. Equipment running at that voltage has to absorb far more electrical stress, yet it still needs to switch off safely within microseconds if something fails.
"As AI data centers transition toward 800V DC power systems, the need for higher power density, improved power conversion efficiency, and advanced protection becomes critical. AlpSemi is developing a differentiated technology platform specifically designed to address these future requirements, enabling the next generation of intelligent power distribution in high-growth, energy-intensive environments. We look forward to supporting the company as both an investor and a strategic partner in its next phase of growth."
Chris Allexandre, CEO of Navitas Semiconductor
AlpSemi is headquartered in Grenoble, France. The company describes its work as spanning three layers: materials, individual devices, and full systems. It calls this a vertically integrated platform. Dupont serves as CEO, and Letertre as CTO.
In simple terms, AlpSemi makes the small chip that sits inside a circuit breaker and acts as the actual switch, replacing the mechanical contacts found in conventional breakers. These chips are built from wide and ultra-wide bandgap materials. That is a category of semiconductor known for handling higher voltages and higher temperatures more efficiently than standard silicon. AlpSemi says this is what lets its technology scale across different parts of the power electronics market, from home wiring up to industrial systems.
"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."
Fabrice Letertre, CTO of AlpSemi
The round was led by Yotta Capital, a French investment firm. SE Ventures, the global venture arm tied to Schneider Electric, joined in, along with Navitas Semiconductor and Cycle Group, based in Luxembourg.
"The large-scale adoption of solid-state circuit breakers is critical to achieving full digitization of electrical distribution. AlpSemi exemplifies a new generation of high-potential industrial startups combining deep semiconductor innovation with strong market pull. This is precisely where SE Ventures focuses, supporting companies that accelerate the transformation of energy management systems and unlock tangible commercial synergies with Schneider Electric."
Grégoire Viasnoff, Global Head of Accelerator at SE Ventures
