TLDR: OpenLight has successfully closed an oversubscribed $34 million Series A funding round. The capital, co-led by Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group, will be used to scale the company’s next-generation integrated photonics technology, specifically targeting the increasing demand for faster and more energy-efficient data movement within AI data center networks.
OpenLight, a prominent innovator in custom Photonic Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (PASIC) chip design and manufacturing, has announced the successful closure of its oversubscribed Series A funding round, raising $34 million. The investment was co-led by Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group, with additional participation from notable investors including Mayfield, Juniper Networks (now part of HPE), Lam Capital (the corporate venture arm of Lam Research Corporation), New Legacy Ventures, and K2 Access. This significant funding marks OpenLight’s transition from a Synopsys subsidiary into a high-growth, venture-backed entity.
The primary objective of this capital injection is to address the escalating demand for enhanced speed and energy efficiency in data transfer within AI data center networks. The company’s technology is poised to play a crucial role as the industry rapidly shifts from traditional electrical interconnects to more advanced optical solutions to support the intensive workloads characteristic of AI. Integrated photonics is emerging as a foundational enabler for this next generation of data center infrastructure.
OpenLight’s core offering is its Process Design Kit (PDK), which leverages heterogeneous integration of indium phosphide and silicon photonics. This PDK provides customers with access to a comprehensive library of passive and active components, including integrated lasers, modulators, amplifiers, and detectors. The technology has been rigorously validated at Tower Semiconductor, a leading photonics foundry, ensuring that designs are production-ready from inception. This streamlined approach enables customers to develop custom PASICs using proven building blocks, thereby simplifying advanced chip development and accelerating time-to-market.
Beyond AI data centers, OpenLight’s technology holds promise for diverse applications such as telecom, automotive and industrial sensing, IoT sensing, healthcare, and quantum computing. The company currently boasts a robust intellectual property portfolio, holding over 360 patents that cover its PDK and the manufacturing processes for heterogeneously integrated III-V photonics. Already, more than 20 companies are utilizing OpenLight’s PDK to design and fabricate PASICs across a broad spectrum of uses.
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Adam Carter, CEO of OpenLight, expressed enthusiasm about the funding, stating, “With this strong syndicate of investors, we can push the boundaries of innovation and deliver transformative solutions to our customers. This funding will allow us to scale our operations, deepen our R&D efforts and bring our groundbreaking products to market faster. We believe heterogeneous integrated silicon photonics will transform the way data is processed and transmitted, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of this revolution.” The new capital will facilitate the expansion of OpenLight’s PDK library and further accelerate product innovation.
