Orbital Industries, a London-based AI-first industrial company, has raised $50 million in Series B funding. The company uses frontier AI models to design, manufacture, and ship physical products, starting with modular data center infrastructure for AI workloads. The capital supports commercialization of its Nova Array liquid-cooled systems and AI materials platform.
AI Data Center Buildout Spurs Hardware Innovation
The timing aligns with surging demand for advanced cooling amid extreme GPU loads. A peer company, Orbital Materials, raised $200M Series B in September 2025. Orbital Industries differentiates through vertical integration: its Orb models simulate 100,000 atoms on a single GPU to create PFAS-free coolants and factory-built modular data centers that deploy in 180 days versus traditional 18-24 month builds.
Extreme GPU Heat Loads Expose Infrastructure Gaps
Next-generation GPUs now exceed 1,400W thermal loads and 120kW rack densities. Traditional R&D cycles cannot keep pace with AI infrastructure timelines. Current solutions rely on slow, siloed materials discovery and stick-built facilities that fail to match deployment speed required by hyperscalers and neoclouds.
Vertically Integrated AI Drives Physical Products
Orbital built Orb foundation models that accelerate materials simulation 10x over alternatives, paired with end-to-end manufacturing of Nova Array modular data centers. The approach ships AI-designed hardware rather than licensing IP. This contrasts with competitors like Schrödinger and CuspAI, which focus on discovery platforms without hardware production.
As CEO Jonathan Godwin noted:
“When people imagine a better future, they think about physical things… what used to take a decade, we can now do in months.”
Plural Leads Round With Strategic AI Backers
Plural led the round with participation from NVentures (Nvidia), Radical Ventures, Compound, and Fly Ventures. The group signals conviction in AI-native industrial companies that bridge software and physical manufacturing. Existing investors including those from prior rounds continued support.
AI Manufacturing Market Expands Rapidly
The AI manufacturing market is projected to grow from $34.18 billion in 2025 to $155.04 billion by 2030 at 35.4% CAGR. Orbital Industries positions itself in the intersection of AI materials discovery and data center hardware, targeting operators needing rapid, sustainable cooling solutions.
The company has launched the Orbital IT commercial brand and maintains partnerships with NVIDIA and AWS for model integration and infrastructure deployment.