The startup will use the newly raised capital to ready its Passage chip, which is capable of powering AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, for mass deployment in data centres.
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Photonic semiconductors process data much faster than conventional hardware. Photonic hardware like what Lightmatter is developing uses light, allowing data to travel at greater speeds than electricity over long distances without losing signal strength.
Traditional hardware with its electronic interconnects struggle with high-bandwidth data movements the larger the workload, meaning they’ll struggle with large-scale foundation AI models.
Lightmatter’s photonic hardware instead uses 3D-stacked photonics chips to move data. Since the hardware can be sent faster without losing signal strength, it maintains optimal performance while reducing power consumption.
Lightmatter claims its chips provide 10 times greater I/O bandwidth for interconnect performance enabling data centre and hardware cluster operators to meet the ever-increasing demands for massive scale large language models.
“We’re not just advancing AI infrastructure— we’re reinventing it,” said Nick Harris, co-founder and CEO of Lightmater. “With Passage, the world’s fastest photonic engine, we’re setting a new standard for performance and breaking through the barriers that limit AI computing. This funding accelerates our ability to scale, delivering the supercomputers of tomorrow today.”
T. Rowe Price Associates led Lightmatter’s series D round, with participation from existing investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company and Google Ventures.
“Lightmatter has the technology, leadership, and team to bring the industry the future of computing through photonics,” said Tony Wang, portfolio manager of the T. Rowe Price Science and Technology Fund. “The demand for AI supercomputers that will power the next wave of frontier AI models is strong and growing. We’re pleased to back Lightmatter on their mission to help power AI infrastructure.”
“AI is evolving faster than anyone could have predicted, pushing the limits of data centre technology,” said Erik Nordlander, general partner at Google Ventures. “Photonics isn’t just a breakthrough; it’s the future of million-xPU data centres for AI.”
Since the company’s last funding announcement in December 2023, Lightmatter opened an office in Toronto and has grown its team, most recently, adding Simona Jankowski as chief financial officer.
The startup also recently added semiconductor veterans Richard Beyer and Robin Washington to its board of directors. Beyer also sits on the board of directors for Micron, while Beyer previously served as CEO of Freescale Semiconductor and Intersil Corporation.
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