Lightmatter releases new photonics technology for AI chips 

Lightmatter, a startup valued at $4.4 billion, introduced two technological innovations on Monday designed to enhance the connections among artificial intelligence chips. Rather than transferring data between computer chips as electrical signals, Lightmatter’s technology employs optical links and silicon photonics to transmit information through light.

Lightmatter, located in Mountain View, California, has secured $850 million in venture funding thus far, as optical technologies have sparked a surge of investments in Silicon Valley during a quest for improved methods to connect chips for powering chatbots, image generators, and various AI applications.

AI chip companies such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) have shown the effectiveness of combining optical technologies with their chips. Nvidia (NVDA.O), earlier this month, unveiled optical technology in certain networking chips, but its CEO mentioned that the technology is not yet advanced enough for application in all its chips.

On Monday, Lightmatter launched two new products intended to be bundled with AI chips. One is referred to as an interposer, a material layer on which the AI chip is placed to link with adjacent chips that also rest on the interposer. The second is a tiny tile known as a “chiplet” that can be positioned atop an AI chip.

Lightmatter announced that its interposer is set to launch in 2025, while the chiplet will follow in 2026. The interposer is produced by GlobalFoundries (GFS.O), opens new tab.