AI has pushed data centres to their limits, and traditional copper wiring just can’t keep up with the speed and efficiency demands. OpenLight is stepping in with custom photonic chips that can move data at up to 400G per lane.
Today, OpenLight closed a $34 million Series A funding round, co-led by Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group, bringing its current valuation to $49 million. The raised funds will propel technology and commercial expansion, backed by investors with deep semiconductor and photonics expertise.
In a conversation with TFN, Dr. Adam Carter, CEO of OpenLight, explains, “Our solutions address several key challenges faced by industries relying on high-speed data communication, AI, autonomous driving, quantum computing and more. Our silicon photonics technology, which includes optical interconnects, enables much higher data transfer speeds (up to 400G per lane and beyond) with reduced latency and power consumption, making data transmission more energy-efficient and sustainable.”
A more scalable, efficient and integrated approach to silicon photonics
At the helm is Dr. Adam Carter, a semiconductor communications veteran with over 25 years of experience. His background includes pivotal roles such as Chief Commercial Officer at Foxconn Optical Interconnects and executive leadership during Oclaro’s turnaround and sale to Lumentum for $1.85 billion.
“The primary motivation for OpenLight was recognising the growing market need for a more scalable, efficient and integrated approach to silicon photonics to overcome the limitations of traditional copper-based interconnects in high-speed data communication. The company was founded to unlock a new era of open silicon photonics, enabling photonic integrated circuits (PICs) that are faster and more power-efficient, especially in industries such as AI, autonomous driving, quantum computing and data centres,” says Carter.
OpenLight is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, with a diverse leadership team including James Dixon, CFO, and Dr. Volkan Kaman, VP of Engineering, all sharing experiences from top semiconductor and photonics firms.
Emphasising team diversity, Dr. Carter notes, “Women represent approximately 35% of the overall workforce, and 11 of these women are engineers, making up 31% of the engineering team.”
Behind OpenLight tech
OpenLight’s Process Design Kit (PDK), validated at leading foundries including Tower Semiconductor, allows customers to design and manufacture custom photonic application-specific integrated circuits (PASICs) using a library of proven components.
Carter added, “ The decision democratises access to our technology, helping pave the way for broader industry adoption. The continuously developing PDK includes an extensive menu of rigorously tested and proven photonic components and verified silicon photonics circuits (IP blocks), empowering customers to design their own highly customised PASICs, significantly accelerating the design cycle and reducing the time required to bring innovative products to the market.”
The company’s technology differentiates itself by direct integration of key active photonic components onto silicon, eliminating the need for external lasers and improving reliability. The open foundry model further allows partners to access this technology with fewer constraints.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, OpenLight plans to expand its component library, increase production support, and advance standard reference designs targeting data transfer rates up to multiple terabits per second.
Carter concluded, “A key objective is to push modular photonics technology to its limits, exploring how far modular banks can go in terms of speed, power efficiency and integration. This includes developing high-powered distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) with wall-plug efficiency that supports demanding applications.”
