The number of venture-backed optical component startups has exploded. The Optical Component Startup Tracker identifies these companies and clarifies their value propositions.
Since many of these companies are in stealth mode, this tracker relies on the limited information available, either publicly or via conversations with the companies. Entries will be updated regularly as better information is available. The most recent update was January 17, 2025.
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| Company Name | Value Proposition |
| Akhetonics | All-optical general purpose processor |
| Alcyon Photonics | Silicon photonics PICs |
| Aloe Semiconductor | Dual polarization of PAM4 optics to double fiber capacity without increasing baud rate |
| AttoTude | Low power connectivity inside the datacenter |
| Avicena | Arrays of micro LEDs for low power, massively parallel chip-to-chip optical interconnect |
| Ayar Labs | On-board optical interconnect engine chiplet and multi-wavelength light source for AI node bandwidth interconnect |
| Bright Silicon Technologies | Optical circuit switch company with unique MEMS technology |
| Casela Technologies | External pluggable lasers for CPO and high-power CW-DFBs for SiPho. |
| Celero Communications | Stealth startup, likely focused on coherent DSPs |
| Celestial AI | Optical chip-to-chip and chip-to-memory connectivity |
| Dream Photonics | System design kits for SiPho integration into standard foundries |
| Drut | Datacenter disaggregation via PCIe cards, MEMS switching, and coordination software |
| DustPhotonics | Silicon photonics for low-power, high speed optical interconnects |
| Effect Photonics | 100ZR DSP and highly integrated tunable laser assembly |
| Enablence | Optical chips for transcievers, LiDAR and other applications using PLC |
| Enlightra | Comb lasers for data communications |
| Enosemi | Silicon photonics based chiplets, custom silicon, and intellectual property products |
| Hyperlight | Thin film lithium niobate modulators |
| Innolume / Alfalume | Quantum well and quantum dot laser foundry and manufacturer. |
| Inpho | InP photonic integrated circuits |
| iPronics | Optical circuit switching using silicon photonics |
| Lessengers | Optical interconnect solution using direct optical wiring |
| Lightelligence | Computing engine with optical interposer, optical PCIe, and comb lasers |
| Lightium | Thin film lithium niobate foundry |
| Lightmatter | Photonic computing platform |
| Lightsolver | Optical compute platform to solver NP-hard problems in the optical domain |
| Lightspeed Photonics | Solderable compact optical interconnect for CPO and transceivers |
| Lightwave Logic | Polymer-based modulators for high speed datacom optics |
| LioniX | Small foundry with SiPho, SiN, and MEMS capability |
| Lucidean | Stealth startup apparently working on coherent modulation |
| Lumilens | Contract manufacturer of datacenter optics |
| Lumiphase | Barium titanate and silicon photonics |
| Mixx | Stealth startup developing silicon photonics for AI interconnectivity |
| Ncodin | Optical chip-to-chip interconnect with optical interposer and small-footprint laser |
| Neurophos | Optical inference computing hardware |
| Newphotonics | Optical signal equalization for LPO and other PIC products |
| Nexus Photonics | PICs with integrated active elements in InP, GaAs, GaN, and SiN |
| nEye Systems | Optical switching on a silicon chip |
| Nubis Communications | 3D optical interconnect for inside the AI node or CPO applications |
| Omniva | Data center efficiency improvements and liquid cooling |
| OpenLight | Silicon Photonics PDKs for integration into manufacturing |
| Oriole Networks | Stealth startup working on low-power AI optical interconnects |
| Phanofi | Stealth startup working on PIC designs for coherent solutions |
| PhotonicX AI | Stealth startup working on scalable optical interconnect technologies |
| Pilot Photonics | Comb laser-based PICs |
| POET Technologies | Optical layer interposers for easier integration of light sources, modulators, and other optical functions into chip packaging |
| Point2 | Mixed-Signal SoCs for low power and low latency AECs and Active RF Cables (ARCs) by using RF transmission over plastic dielectric waveguides (technically not optics, but optics adjacent). |
| Polariton | Small, fast PICs based on plasmonics |
| Quintessent | Quantum dot lasers and optical amplifiers integrated with SiPho-based PICs |
| Ranovus | Quantum dot lasers and silicon photonics for AI optical interconnects |
| Rapid Photonics | Thin film lithium niobate components |
| Retym | Stealth startup working on optical DSPs |
| Salience Labs | SiPho chip solutions for AI |
| Scintil Photonics | Integrating II-Vs with SiPho at wafer scale for hybrid PICs |
| Sicoya (Dawn) | Silicon photonics startup, now a part of Dawn Semiconductor |
| Skorpios Technologies | Integrating II-Vs with SiPho at wafer scale for hybrid PICs |
| TeraSignal | Analog electronics to provide active feedback (electrical) for LPO |
| Xscape Photonics | Programmable comb laser for WDM integration into AI fabrics |
Description and brief analysis of each company follows:
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