Lightmatter

Founded in 2017, we manufacture computer hardware, developing photonic chips for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. We integrate photonics and computing to boost AI speed and efficiency. Our offerings include a 16-wavelength bidirectional optical DWDM Link for AI data centers and the Passage M1000 Reference System, which features our Passage M1000 3D Photonic Superchip. This photonic interconnect technology scales bandwidth for connecting GPUs, TPUs, and data center switches in AI model training clusters.

We provide a range of Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) solutions, like the Passage L200 3D Co-Packaged Optics and the Passage M1000 3D Photonic Superchip. Our 3D Co-Packaged Optics technology uses an Edgeless I/O architecture, stacking an Electronic Integrated Circuit (EIC) with a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) within a single I/O chiplet. This design delivers high bandwidth density and power efficiency for AI infrastructure.

Our photonic interconnect platform works with lane speeds from 56G NRZ to 448G PAM4, with bidirectional or unidirectional options and up to 16 wavelengths. Products include the Passage L-Series Linear Drive CPO and Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) modules, offering flexibility and performance directly on the PCB. We also use Detachable Fiber Technology for simpler assembly and maintenance through wafer-level, V-groove-less passive alignment. We operate a rack-scale validation system to test our products’ quality and performance.

We also join industry groups such as the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), UALink Consortium, UEC, CW-WDM MSA, Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation, and Optica to help shape AI interconnect and networking standards.

Our mission: to lead a revolution in AI data center infrastructure and enable breakthroughs by connecting processors at high speeds.

Our core values guide everything we do:

• Care about People: We emphasize trust, respect, honesty, and mutual support.
• Win: We move with speed, precision, and focus to execute our vision and build a world-changing company.
• Deliver the Future: We inspire loyalty, exceed expectations, keep our commitments, and create reliable, exciting, and indispensable products.
• Follow First Principles: We understand, innovate, and are original, letting fundamentals guide our decisions.
• One Lightmatter: We foster a collaborative environment free of silos or hierarchy, where impact is prioritized, and high standards are maintained collectively.

Our team of 201-500 individuals includes specialists in digital, analog, photonics, systems, platforms, and machine learning. Our employees bring strong academic and industry backgrounds, with publications in journals like Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters, and over 100 patents. Many have graduated from top institutions such as MIT, UC Berkeley, Cal Tech, and Stanford; some even contributed to black hole simulation software for the movie “Interstellar.”

The company was founded by CEO Nicholas Harris, Chief Scientist Darius Bunandar, and Head of Machine Learning Thomas Graham, who continue in key leadership roles alongside our CFO, SVPs, and VPs across engineering, operations, sales, people and culture, product, photonics, supply chain, and legal.

Our culture promotes collaboration, high standards, and a focus on impact over titles. We encourage all employees to contribute actively. We have offices in Mountain View, CA (HQ), Boston, MA, and Toronto, ON.

We offer a range of employee benefits, including:

• Commuter benefits: Pre-tax dollars for daily commutes.
• Team social events: Regular happy hours to build relationships.
• Learning opportunities: We encourage learning from peers across electronics, photonics, and machine learning.
• Time off: A generous vacation policy and paid holidays.
• 401(k) plan: To help employees save for the future.