Today’s age of ubiquitous computing, driven by cramming ever-smaller transistors onto chips, faces a looming challenge: the purported end of Moore’s Law and Dennard’s Scaling. In the midst of this pivotal moment, Lightmatter, founded by three MIT alumni, pioneers a transformative approach to computing by integrating light into chip design.

Rather than solely relying on electricity, Lightmatter’s innovative technology utilizes both photons and electrons for data processing and transport. The company’s inaugural products, Envise and Passage, leverage this hybrid approach to drive more efficient operations in artificial intelligence (AI) and data transfer between chips.

Nicholas Harris, Lightmatter’s CEO and co-founder, underscores the company’s mission: “We’re tackling the fundamental questions of chip communication and AI computation with our groundbreaking products, Envise and Passage.”

Backed by a staggering $300 million funding round in 2023, Lightmatter now collaborates with industry giants to revolutionize data centers and AI models by reducing energy consumption.

Harris’s journey from semiconductor research at Micron Technology to pioneering light-based computing at MIT encapsulates the vision behind Lightmatter. Inspired by the limitations of traditional transistor-based computing, Harris’s research led to the development of silicon-based integrated photonic chips capable of processing information using light.

At MIT, Harris’s collaboration with his co-founders, Darius Bunandar and Thomas Graham, culminated in winning the 2017 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Their collective vision transformed into reality with Lightmatter’s inception.

Envise and Passage represent the culmination of years of research and innovation, leveraging the unique properties of light to drive efficiency and performance in computing. Envise seamlessly integrates photonics and electronics, enabling parallel processing of AI operations. On the other hand, Passage revolutionizes chip connectivity, harnessing light’s latency and bandwidth advantages.

With energy efficiency becoming paramount in the face of escalating computing demands, Lightmatter’s technology presents a sustainable solution. By 2040, computing deployments are projected to consume a significant portion of global energy usage, with AI models alone demanding hundreds of megawatts.

Lightmatter’s partnership with chipmakers and cloud service providers marks a significant step towards widespread adoption. Leveraging existing semiconductor fabrication facilities, Lightmatter’s silicon-based technology promises scalability and accessibility.

As Lightmatter propels computing into a new era, Harris envisions a future where light accelerates every facet of computing, driving efficiency and performance to unprecedented levels. With Envise and Passage as just the beginning, Lightmatter’s journey is poised to redefine computing, one photon at a time.