Axelera AI has launched Europa, its second generation AIPU designed to handle heavy artificial intelligence inference workloads on local servers. The 45W processor combines 8 AI processing cores with 16 RISC V vector cores to output 629 TOPS of compute. Validated server systems from Dell and Supermicro are now rolling out to enterprise buyers and European computing centers.
Running artificial intelligence models inside private corporate networks is becoming very expensive. Axelera AI designed Europa specifically to cut those operational power costs. The silicon contains 128MB of on chip L2 cache, connects to 256 bit LPDDR5 memory, and operates across 4 PCIe Gen4 lanes. It supports low precision data formats including INT4, INT8, and INT16. Axelera claims the chip achieves up to 6x the token throughput per watt compared to standard GPU hardware, while delivering more than 8x the throughput per dollar against top competitors.
Hardware buyers can purchase Europa in 3 distinct formats. The company is selling bare chips for custom board designs, a half height PCIe card called the Axelera Edge 232p, and a full height card known as the Axelera Server 250p. This standard PCIe form factor lets system administrators drop the accelerators into existing server racks without redesigning their power infrastructure.
The Eindhoven based startup is finding fast traction in the enterprise market. In an interview with Reuters, CEO Fabrizio Del Maffeo confirmed that Axelera has signed supply contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. The company is currently tracking a sales pipeline exceeding $1.5 billion across more than 600 active clients in robotics, retail, defense, and security. Since its founding in 2021, the privately held company has raised over $450 million in venture funding.
Europa is also playing a central part in European efforts to build regional computing infrastructure. The company is collaborating with Dell Technologies and systems integrator E4 on EU supported AI factory initiatives, including the IT4LIA project in Italy and the MeluXina installation in Luxembourg. Dell confirmed it is deploying validated PowerEdge XE5 systems equipped with the new chips to support local data sovereignty requirements.
Deploying models to non standard silicon is often a headache for software teams. To solve this, Axelera built the Voyager toolchain, which includes an agent platform called Voyager Wingman to help programmers port code and manage pipelines. The company also introduced a dedicated model compilation system called AxeleraScript to speed up model integration. Hardware support is already active on the Dell XE5 and Supermicro 111AD servers, with future system designs coming from HPE, Lenovo, and Advantech.
