About Ayar Labs
Unleashing the Next Wave of Computing with Optical I/O
Ayar Labs is unleashing processing power for artificial intelligence, high performance computing, cloud, aerospace, and telecommunications by removing the bottlenecks created by today’s electrical I/O. By moving data using light, we make it possible to continue scaling computing system performance, enabling the next system design breakthroughs for the growth of generative AI, disaggregated data centers, 6G, phased array sensory systems, and more.
The Difference
Our in-package optical I/O solution moves data from chip to chip using light instead of electricity transmitted through copper wires.
The Result
Breaking through the performance, power, and distance limitations of copper interconnect.
The Impact
New system architectures that enable the data throughput required by AI, cloud, HPC, 6G, and next-gen sensory systems.
Ayar Labs: Solving Data Bottlenecks with Optical I/O
Ayar Labs in-package optical I/O was designed to solve the critical performance bottlenecks in data-intensive computing systems. By moving data between computer chips using light instead of electricity, systems achieve 4 Tbps bi-directional bandwidth, power efficiency of less than 5pJ/b (10 Watts), latency of 5ns per chiplet + TOF, and reach from millimeters to kilometers.
Revolutionizing Computing by Moving Data with Light
Ayar Labs is the first to deliver an in-package optical I/O solution that combines optical I/O chiplets and multi-wavelength light sources to replace traditional electrical I/O. This silicon photonics-based I/O solution enables chips to communicate with each other from millimeters to kilometers, and to deliver orders of magnitude improvements in latency, bandwidth density, and power consumption.
We are now commercializing our solution and starting to deliver in volume to select customers. We’re also building a strong optical interconnect ecosystem that includes key strategic technology and supply chain partnerships, as well as industry and standards organizations. Ayar Labs was founded in 2015 and is funded by a number of domestic and international venture capital firms as well as strategic investors such as Applied Ventures, GlobalFoundries, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, Intel Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, and NVIDIA.
Our Core Values
- EWin in the marketplace
- EInnovate or die
- EStay honest and open
- EBe the best. Be bold
- EKeep a scalable mindset
Our Story
2010
First ever monolithic microring transmitters demonstrated
2015
Company created: Ayar Labs
First ever CPU chip to communicate with optical I/O
2016
$2M seed round
2017
Strategic partnership formed with GlobalFoundries
Prototype 45nm optical chip
2018
$24M Series A
Integration into eval boards with Intel FPGA
2019
Selected as optical solution for Intel’s DARPA PIPES Project
2020
$35M Series B
First working silicon in next-gen 45nm silicon photonics process
Intel & Ayar Labs demonstrate optical I/O in FPGA for PIPES
CW-WDM MSA established
2021
First Tbps optical link demonstrated
Supply chain partnership formed with MACOM
2022
First volume shipments
Technology partnerships formed with HPE, Lockheed Martin, NVIDIA
2023
$25M Series C-1
Publicly demonstrated industry’s first 4-Tbps optical solution
Awards
NatSec100 2023
Silicon 100: Startups Worth Watching in 2023
The 10 Hottest Semiconductor Startups Of 2023
America’s Best Startup Employers
The Photonics 100 2023
Next Big Things in Tech 2022
2021 Gartner “Cool Vendor” in Silicon Photonics
Tech Startups to Bet Your Career on in 2021
