Ultrafast photonics for next-generation compute
LightScale Photonics is building ultrafast photonic switching technology for AI interconnects. Our platform is designed for faster optical switching, lower communication power, and more adaptive network fabrics for next-generation compute.
AI infrastructure is hitting a communications wall
As AI clusters scale, communication is becoming a first-order systems constraint. Training and inference workloads move massive volumes of data across accelerators, racks, and pods, but today's interconnect stack pays heavily in power, cost, latency, and fixed topology.
The bottleneck is no longer just compute. Future systems need a switching layer that can move more data with less energy and adapt to workload demands in real time.
Built for high-speed, low-energy switching
Our platform targets switching speed, energy, and footprint in regimes that conventional approaches struggle to reach.
Ultrafast switching
Push optical switching into a faster operating regime than conventional platforms allow.
Compact photonics
Enable denser integration and smaller photonic structures.
Lower switching energy
Reduce the per-switch energy cost compared to heat-driven control paths.
Designed for AI training and inference
Target workloads include all-reduce, all-to-all traffic, MoE routing, and bandwidth-heavy inference serving — workloads where interconnect efficiency directly sets system throughput and power.
PitLane: a programmable photonic network layer
PitLane is our proposed photonic switching architecture, designed to combine the power advantages of optical switching with much faster reconfiguration than conventional approaches.
The long-term goal is topology on demand: a software-defined photonic fabric that can reconfigure at packet cadence, respond to congestion and link health, and match connectivity to the workload in real time.
AI interconnects first. Broader photonics next
AI infrastructure is the first market because the interconnect problem is immediate, expensive, and growing. That is where this platform can create the clearest near-term advantage.
Over time, the same platform may extend into adjacent domains including photonic compute primitives and quantum photonics, but LightScale is starting with switching and interconnects.
Built on demonstrated photonics
Backed by published research and an active patent program, with a roadmap toward manufacturable photonic switching hardware.
Core functionality validated
Published work shows the platform's core photonic behavior in lab environments.
Process maturity
Key fabrication steps have already been demonstrated in the lab.
IP in progress
Patents have been submitted across the core architecture.
Built by researchers at the intersection of photonics and computing
LightScale brings together expertise across photonics, materials, fabrication, and large-scale systems. The team spans research backgrounds from MIT and leading academic work in photonic systems and intelligent infrastructure.
Kabir Swain
CEO & Founder
David Garrett
Advisory Board Member