Deeptech startup Enlightra has secured a total of $15 million in funding to develop its chip-scale multiwavelength laser technology, positioning the company as a key player in next-generation AI infrastructure. The round attracted a group of tech-focused investors, including Y Combinator, Runa Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Protocol Labs, Halo Labs, Asymmetry Ventures and TRAC VC.
AI Growth Pushes Data Centres to the Limit
The investment comes as AI training and inference workloads place unprecedented strain on data centre architectures. Modern AI systems rely on dense GPU clusters that must exchange massive volumes of data at extremely high speeds. Despite rapid advances in compute performance, many interconnects between GPUs still rely on copper links constrained by bandwidth, latency and power consumption.
Copper Interconnects Become a Scaling Challenge
As AI clusters grow to tens or hundreds of thousands of accelerators, copper-based interconnects are emerging as a major bottleneck. Their limitations in heat dissipation, energy efficiency and physical scalability increase operating costs and complicate data centre design. While optical connectivity is widely seen as the next step, adoption has been slowed by cost, complexity and scalability concerns.
Multiwavelength Lasers Replace Discrete Sources
Enlightra addresses these challenges with a laser architecture based on multiwavelength, or “comb,” lasers. The technology replaces multiple discrete laser sources with a single integrated chip-scale laser that generates multiple wavelengths. Each wavelength acts as an independent data channel, allowing one source to support multiple high-bandwidth optical links.
Turning Light into the GPU Backbone
“The world’s AI infrastructure is hitting the limits of copper,” said Maxim Karpov, co-founder and co-CEO of Enlightra. “Our lasers unlock a new level of energy-efficient connectivity by turning light into the backbone of GPU communication.”
Higher Throughput with Lower Energy Use
By consolidating multiple wavelengths into a single laser, Enlightra’s approach reduces power consumption, cost and physical footprint compared with conventional optical systems. The technology also allows fibre-optic networks to operate closer to their theoretical capacity, increasing throughput without proportional increases in energy use.
“Using additional wavelengths allows optical fibre networks to scale much more efficiently,” said co-founder and co-CEO John Jost. “Our technology enables AI clusters and data centres to decouple performance growth from energy and cost increases.”
Designed for Mass Manufacturing
Manufacturability is a core part of Enlightra’s strategy. Its lasers are built using industry-standard silicon photonics fabrication processes, enabling production at scale within existing semiconductor manufacturing facilities. This is critical for adoption in hyperscale data centres, where cost, reliability and supply-chain scalability are decisive factors.
Prototype Validation and Production Timeline
Enlightra has developed 8- and 16-channel laser prototypes aligned with customer requirements for AI chip interconnects. The company reports error-free data transmission at target speeds and power levels. Pilot production is planned for 2027, in line with anticipated next-generation AI infrastructure rollouts.
Beyond AI Data Centres
While AI clusters are the initial focus, Enlightra’s scalable comb-laser platform has broader ambitions. Potential applications include optical links across entire data centres, long-haul fibre networks and subsea cables. At the chip level, the technology could support future chip-to-chip and chip-to-memory optical interconnects.
Future Applications in Quantum and Space
Looking further ahead, Enlightra sees opportunities in quantum networking and space-based communications, where compact, energy-efficient, multiwavelength optical sources are essential.
Powering the Next Generation of Connectivity
The new funding will accelerate development of Enlightra’s laser technology, with a focus on boosting data transfer speeds and energy efficiency. As AI workloads continue to scale and power constraints intensify, Enlightra is betting that highly integrated, multiwavelength lasers will form the backbone of future digital infrastructure.
