NOVEMBERASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8NEWSROOMAmperesand, a US- and Singapore-based power infrastructure startup spun out of Nanyang Technological University in 2023, has raised US$80 million in Series A funding co-led by Walden Catalyst Ventures and Temasek, with participation from Industry Ventures, Acclimate Ventures, SG Growth Capital, Xora Innovation, Material Impact, TDK Ventures, and Foothill Ventures.The company develops Medium Voltage Solid-State Transformer (MV SST) systems designed for AI data centers, high-density computing, and megawatt charging applications.The new capital will accelerate deployment of 30MW of MV SST systems in 2026, following completed full-power, overload, and bidirectional testing of its Generation 2 platform in 2024.· Amperesand raises US$80M to scale Medium Voltage Solid-State Transformers· 30MW MV SST deployments planned for 2026, with PSA pilot starting 2025· Funding supports US and Singapore expansion amid rising port electrification demandWhile Amperesand states that its MV SST meets UL, IEC, and IEEE standards, it has not disclosed specific certification listings or independent field performance data to support its 99.999 percent uptime claim.A key early project is a one-year Proof of Value pilot with PSA International at the Port of Singapore beginning mid-2025.The funding will also support scaling engineering and manufacturing operations in the US and Singapore, with the team expected to surpass 100 employees by end-2025. Amperesand's growth aligns with rising public investment in port electrification: the US EPA's US$3 billion Clean Ports Program, Washington state's US$26.5 million Port Electrification Grant, and Maine's 2025 port electrification RFP.These programs create opportunities for electrical contractors, EPC firms, and medium-voltage power electronics vendors--many of which may see demand ahead of Amperesand's commercial rollout in 2026. NEC has announced it will adopt VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) internally as part of its "Client Zero" modernization strategy while simultaneously expanding its VCF-based private cloud services for enterprise customers.VCF, a unified cloud platform for managing both traditional and cloud-native applications, is already widely used across global enterprises, with nine of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies deploying it, according to Broadcom.NEC began offering private cloud services built on VCF in October 2025 and now provides a fully managed service to help organizations streamline hybrid cloud operations, strengthen security, and reduce operational complexity. The upgraded VCF 9.0 introduces compute-core and storage-TiB licensing through a single license file.· NEC adopts VCF internally and expands its managed VCF private cloud service· Broadcom introduces VCF 9.0 with new licensing and BYOL rules for hyperscalers· Enterprises expected to demand consistent hybrid cloud operations across platformsHowever, Broadcom's public materials leave out key parameters such as core minimums, SKU breakdowns, and managed service provider terms, making cost comparison challenging. VCF now offers license portability, but only across Certified Cloud Services--including approved VMware Cloud Service Providers and major hyperscalers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.From November 1, 2025, Broadcom will enforce an exclusive Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model for hyperscalers, requiring customers to purchase VCF subscriptions directly from Broadcom while paying cloud providers separately for infrastructure. NEC's managed VCF offering does not yet publicly outline BYOL implications.With Broadcom narrowing its VCSP program to prioritized tiers--Pinnacle, Premier, Select--customers are expected to seek unified operational tools to maintain consistency across on-premises and hybrid public cloud environments, particularly in Japan where NEC leads VCF-managed deployments. AMPERESAND RAISES $80M TO SCALE SOLID-STATE POWER SYSTEMSNEC EXPANDS VMWARE VCF CLOUD SERVICES WITH BROADCOM PARTNERSHIP
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