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August 24, 2026

VCs pick out 19 startups making AI more efficient

The AI boom means compute resources are struggling to keep up with demand. These startups are working to reduce the cost and energy requirements of models

European countries are racing to build data centres to support the fast-growing compute demands of AI. But as the technology’s appetite for resources increases faster than the capacity to build infrastructure, many startups are tackling the challenge from another angle: making more with less.

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Silviu Apostu, partner at Matterwave Ventures
Silviu Apostu, partner at Matterwave Ventures
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Emma Schepers, investment lead at Verve Ventures
Emma Schepers, investment lead at Verve Ventures
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Oliver Schoppe, partner at UVC Partners
Oliver Schoppe, partner at UVC Partners
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A photo of Pierre-Eric Leibovici, cofounder and partner at early-stage VC Daphni
Pierre-Eric Leibovici, partner at Daphni
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Aleksander Dobrzyniecki, general partner at Balnord
Aleksander Dobrzyniecki, general partner at Balnord. Photo: Lukasz Glowala
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Jakob Lingg, investment partner at Vsquared Ventures
Jakob Lingg, investment partner at Vsquared Ventures
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Karol Szubstarski, partner at OTB Ventures
Karol Szubstarski, partner at OTB Ventures
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Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She covers French tech and writes Sifted's AI and Deeptech newsletter . You can find her on X and LinkedIn

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