Atomic Machines emerges from the shadows with $250 million and a ‘matter compiler’ that builds micromachines from code

Founded by Jeff Holden, formerly of Amazon and Uber, the start-up is already supplying an ultra-fast electromechanical relay designed for 800 V power supplies in AI data centres.

After six years of quiet development, Atomic Machines, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has announced a $250 million raise. The company was founded by Jeff Holden, one of Amazon's very first employees and then Uber's first chief product officer. Investors include OneIM, Gigafund, XTX Ventures, KAS Venture Partners, Valor Equity Partners, Sozo Ventures and the University of California Regents.

Manufacturing without tools

Its system, called the Matter Compiler in reference to Neal Stephenson's novel The Diamond Age , produces three-dimensional micro-machines with moving parts directly from a design file, with details on the order of a few microns and without a dedicated mold or tooling. The AI controls the process corrections in real time and conducts its own manufacturing experiments.

The first product, the PrimeSwitch PS-150, is a 9.5 mm by 3 mm relay capable of cutting a 150 amp DC current in 50 microseconds, about a thousand times faster than a conventional contactor. It targets the 800-volt power architectures that are becoming widespread in AI data centers and is already shipping to early access customers.