Neuronova, a deep tech startup based in Milan focused on sustainable innovation, has closed a €1.5 million pre-seed funding round to develop ultra-low power AI chips.
This investment will support the development of Neuronova’s ultra-low power processor, a breakthrough technology that reduces energy consumption by a factor of 1000, enabling AI to run on battery-powered smart devices and sensors.
The answer to the challenge of sustainable artificial intelligence
In 2023, global sales of smart devices neared two billion units, highlighting the growing demand for increasingly efficient technologies. As this market continues to expand, relying solely on centralized cloud infrastructures for data processing is becoming less sustainable—due to high energy consumption, environmental impact, and rising operational costs.
Neuronova’s processor addresses this challenge by bringing AI execution directly to the device, shifting computation away from centralized data centers to low-power solutions embedded in smart devices. This approach not only helps decongest cloud infrastructures, but also enables real-time applications that would otherwise be unfeasible—ranging from seamless interactions with AI voice assistants to advanced medical devices.
Thanks to the recent funding round led by 360 Capital and Tech4Planet—the environmental sustainability tech transfer hub launched by CDP Venture Capital—Neuronova will be able to expand its team, invest heavily in R&D, and initiate the design and production of its first processor prototype. This marks a major step toward the company’s goal of making artificial intelligence more sustainable and scalable.
Neuronova’s technology aims to simplify AI integration across a wide range of sectors, from consumer electronics to IoT devices, paving the way for not only new smart products, but also innovative business models.
A groundbreaking technology that brings AI everywhere
Founded by three engineers — Alessandro Milozzi and Marco Rasetto, graduates in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, and Michele Mastella, a Biomedical Engineering graduate from Genoa with a PhD in neuromorphic computing — Neuronova, winner of Switch2Product 2023-2024, is emerging as a leader in low-power AI solutions, meeting the growing demand from top smart device manufacturers.
Leveraging a paradigm that mimics the brain’s functioning directly in hardware, Neuronova’s technology implements neurons and synapses as physical structures on silicon. This design enables AI processing that mirrors biological systems, consuming up to 1000 times less energy than current solutions — all within a compact chip just a few millimeters in size, ready for high-volume integration.
Neuronova’s processor prototype, set to launch next year, will demonstrate its capabilities in performing AI tasks, aiming to set new market standards. The strategic positioning of this technology has already attracted the attention of leading companies in the smart device sector, some of which are already working closely with Neuronova to integrate the innovative processor into their products.
“Our mission at Neuronova is to revolutionize the scalability of AI through sustainable technology that allows devices to do more with less energy,” says Alessandro Milozzi, CEO and co-founder of Neuronova. “This capital injection brings us one step closer to reshaping the infrastructure of AI, enabling a new generation of intelligent devices and sensors.”
“Effectively integrating artificial intelligence into everyday devices is one of today’s key technological challenges. We believe Neuronova’s pragmatic, brain-inspired approach is the answer, unlocking the vast market potential of neuromorphic computing,“ says Alessandro Zaccaria, Partner at 360 Capital.
“Our investment in groundbreaking neuromorphic chips reflects our commitment to driving sustainable innovation,“ adds Claudia Pingue, Senior Partner and Head of the Technology Transfer Fund at CDP Venture Capital. “Neuronova’s chips have the potential to cut AI energy consumption on sensors and devices by a factor of one thousand, representing a strategic solution to one of the greatest challenges in sustainable artificial intelligence.”
