据路透社报道，由英伟达投资、总部位于圣克拉拉的网络技术初创企业Upscale AI于周四推出一款平台，该平台可让数据中心将不同供应商生产的AI芯片相互连接起来。
Upscale AI, a Santa Clara networking startup backed by Nvidia, launched a platform on Thursday that lets data centres link AI chips made by different suppliers, Reuters reported.
这款名为Token Fabric的产品是在今日发布的公司公告中亮相的。Upscale称，该平台基于开放标准设计，能够兼容各类厂商生产的图形处理芯片、定制化AI芯片以及网络卡。
The product, called Token Fabric, was revealed in a company announcement today. Upscale said it is built on open standards and works with graphics chips, custom AI chips, and network cards from any vendor.
大型AI系统需要将计算任务分配给数千个芯片处理，这些芯片必须持续交换数据。网络设备既可用于连接同一服务器机架内的芯片（即“纵向扩展”），也可用于连接不同机架乃至整栋建筑内的服务器（即“横向扩展”）。一旦数据传输速度变慢，价格昂贵的芯片便可能处于闲置状态。
Large AI systems distribute work across thousands of chips that must constantly exchange data. Networking gear links chips within a single server rack, known as scale-up. It also links racks across a building, known as scale-out. When data moves too slowly, costly chips sit idle.
目前许多大型AI系统均采用单一供应商提供的互联技术，比如英伟达的NVLink。而Upscale则致力于推广通用标准，包括UALink以及用于纵向扩展网络的以太网技术ESUN，从而让不同厂商生产的芯片能够接入同一网络。
Many of today’s biggest systems use one vendor’s own links, such as Nvidia’s NVLink. Upscale instead backs shared standards, including UALink and Ethernet for Scale-Up Networking (ESUN), so that chips from rival makers can sit on the same network.
Token Fabric平台将Upscale自主研发的纵向扩展交换芯片SkyFabriX，与基于英伟达Spectrum-X以太网芯片打造的横向扩展交换机相结合。此外，SkyOS与SkyCMD这两层软件负责整个网络的运行与监控；据路透社报道，这些软件还能识别网络瓶颈并提示需要更换的硬件设备。
Token Fabric combines SkyFabriX, Upscale’s own scale-up switch chip, with scale-out switches built on Nvidia’s Spectrum-X Ethernet chips. Two software layers, SkyOS and SkyCMD, run and monitor the whole network. According to Reuters, the software can identify bottlenecks and flag hardware that may need replacement.
英伟达网络业务高级副总裁吉拉德·沙伊纳在公告中表示：“网络是AI计算中心的支柱，随着系统规模不断扩大，它必须确保各类加速芯片始终保持连接并高效运转。”
“The network is the backbone of the AI factory, keeping accelerators connected and productive as systems scale,” Gilad Shainer, Nvidia’s senior vice president of networking, said in the statement.
据路透社报道，该平台的首个组件将于今年第四季度面世，其余部分则会在2027年期间分阶段推出。Upscale的公告则称，该平台预计将于2027年初全面上市，目前早期试用计划也正在实施中。
The first part of the platform is due in the fourth quarter, with the rest rolling out in stages through 2027, Reuters reported. Upscale’s statement puts general availability in early 2027 and says early-access programmes are under way.
首席执行官巴伦·卡尔向路透社透露，他预计Token Fabric明年可带来数千万美元的营收，最终有望达到数亿美元规模。Upscale的主要目标客户为大型云服务提供商以及新兴的“新云”企业——即那些提供AI算力租赁服务的规模较小的公司。
Chief executive Barun Kar told Reuters he expects Token Fabric revenue next year in the tens of millions of dollars, possibly reaching the low hundreds of millions. Upscale is targeting large cloud providers and neoclouds, smaller firms that rent out AI computing power.
卡尔与执行主席拉吉夫·凯马尼于2025年创立了这家公司。同年9月，公司完成了超过1亿美元的种子轮融资；次年1月，又成功募集到2亿美元的资金，完成了A轮融资。
Kar and executive chairman Rajiv Khemani founded the company in 2025. It raised a seed round of more than $100m that September and a $200m Series A in January.
今年6月，在普雷米吉投资的主导下，公司又获得了1.9亿美元的追加投资，公司估值也随之升至20亿美元。英伟达、Salesforce Ventures以及淡马锡也参与了本轮融资，使得公司累计融资额达到约5亿美元。截至7月下旬，英伟达已在众多人工智能企业中持有股份，其持有的股权投资组合总价值高达990亿美元。
In June, it added a $190m extension led by Premji Invest, valuing it at $2bn. Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures, and Temasek joined that round, bringing total funding to about $500m. Nvidia has taken stakes in many AI firms, building a $99bn equity portfolio by late July.
其他初创企业也在积极筹集资金，以期解决芯片间的数据传输瓶颈问题。7月，从事芯片互连技术开发的Eliyan公司估值便达到了10亿美元。
Other startups are also raising money to ease data bottlenecks between chips. In July, chip interconnect firm Eliyan reached a $1bn valuation.