Pliops
Pliops makes hardware accelerators that speed up data processing for AI workloads. The company has raised $205M, most recently in a Series D round in August 2022, and employs 55 people. Pliops' Extreme Data Processor (XDP) is a hardware solution that reduces data center infrastructure costs by improving I/O efficiency for AI applications. Its LightningAI product builds on this technology to optimize generative AI workloads. The company has grown steadily since its 2017 founding, with engineering making up over half its workforce. Its $205M funding includes investments from Intel Capital and Koch Disruptive Technologies, signaling strong industry backing for its semiconductor technology.
The growth story
Pliops grew from 91 to 55 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $205M along the way, most recently a Series D in August 2022.
About
Pliops is a technology innovator focused on making data centers run faster and more efficiently.The company’s Extreme Data Processor (XDP) radically simplifies the way data is processed and managed.Pliops overcomes I/O inefficiencies to massively accelerate performance and dramatically reduce overall infrastructure costs for data-hungry AI applications. Building on this foundation, LightningAI harnesses Pliops’ cutting-edge acceleration technologies to optimize GenAI workloads, delivering unmatched efficiency and scalability. It provides tailored performance enhancements to meet the evolving demands of AI-driven infrastructure.Founded in 2017, Pliops has been recognized multiple times as one
Founders and leadership
Engineering dominates Pliops' organization, with 32 of its 55 employees in technical roles. The company maintains a median tenure of 4 years, suggesting stable leadership and workforce retention.
The Pliops org chart
Aryeh Mergi (Founder) leads 18 mapped leaders with 5 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 29 (-52% YoY), Quality Assurance 7 (-36% YoY), Business Development 5 (-50% YoY), Information Technology 4 (-64% YoY), Arts and Design 3 (0% YoY).
Talent flow
Pliops draws heavily from semiconductor veterans, with Intel and Mellanox Technologies being its top talent sources. Its alumni frequently move to hardware companies like Astera Labs and NVIDIA, with 26 joining Astera alone.
Most common previous employers of Pliops staff: Intel (9), Mellanox Technologies (8), NXP acquires Freescale Semiconductor (6), Dell Technologies (3), Israel Defense Forces (3), Sandisk (3). Former Pliops employees most often moved to Astera Labs (26), Google (10), NVIDIA (9), Quantum Machines (6), VAST Data (4), KIOXIA America (2).
Alumni worth knowing
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 0% direct, 0% search, 0% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Pliops: Debugging (27), Java (26), MATLAB (21), C (Programming Language) (21), C++ (21), Linux (20), Python (Programming Language) (19), Semiconductor Engineering (14).
Where the team actually sits
Pliops people are concentrated in Israel (23), Tel Aviv District, Israel (12), Center District, Israel (4), Haifa District, Israel (3).
Search footprint
Pliops attracts about 77 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $0K a month if bought through ads. It gained 2 ranking keywords and lost 4 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 4.00 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 4.30 / 5
- Senior management
- 4.10 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 4.30 / 5
Frequently asked
Pliops has 55 employees as of September 2026.
Pliops has raised $205M in total, most recently a Series D round in August 2022.
Pliops was founded in 2017 by Aryeh Mergi.
Aryeh Mergi (Founder) sits at the top of Pliops's reporting structure, with 5 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Pliops staff are Intel (9 people), Mellanox Technologies (8 people), NXP acquires Freescale Semiconductor (6 people).
Former Pliops employees most often move to Astera Labs (26), Google (10), NVIDIA (9).
Pliops attracts about 77 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $0K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Pliops staff are Debugging, Java, MATLAB, C (Programming Language), C++.
Pliops staff are concentrated in Israel (23), Tel Aviv District, Israel (12), Center District, Israel (4).
Pliops has about 29 people in Engineering, down 52% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Pliops has about 7 people in Quality Assurance, down 36% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 54 current and 140 former Pliops profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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