Driving the AI Revolution
with Optical I/O
Ayar Labs is transforming AI infrastructure by accelerating data movement. Our breakthrough optical I/O solution enables composable system architectures optimized for large-scale AI workloads, while also scaling performance and throughput for training and inference. Ayar Labs’ industry-first, standards-based technology shatters data bottlenecks and gives customers the bandwidth, energy efficiency, and latency that AI workloads require.
“NVIDIA is reimagining the data center with integrated hardware, software, and networking for accelerated computing. Generative AI models with trillions of parameters are accelerating demand for this platform, which is why we are increasing our investment in Ayar Labs.”
Craig Thompson,
Vice President of Business Development, Networking Business Unit, NVIDIA
Solving Data Bottlenecks with Optical I/O
The soaring complexity and size of LLM AI models are overwhelming infrastructure that is based on traditional interconnect technology for data transfer. AI system design demands more. By moving data using light, co-packaged optics with optical I/O makes it possible to continue scaling computing system performance, enabling the next system design breakthroughs for the growth of generative AI, AI infrastructure companies, disaggregated data centers, and more.
Moving Data with Light
Optical AI System Design
Ayar Labs’ solution combines two industry-first technologies — the TeraPHY™ optical I/O chiplet and SuperNova™ multi-wavelength remote light source — to maximize data transfer and compute efficiency while reducing costs, latency, and power consumption. It is standards-based, future-proof, and scalable, designed to optimize AI performance.
Based on open standards and optimized for both LLM AI training and inference, Ayar Labs’ optical I/O solution is backed by a robust ecosystem that enables it to integrate smoothly into AI infrastructure at scale.
5-10x
higher bandwidth
4-8x
more power efficient
10x
lower latency
(than traditional interconnects: pluggable optics+electrical SerDes)
Our Core Values
Our Story
2025
Opened Hsinchu, Taiwan office
2024
$155M Series D
2023
$25M Series C-1
Publicly demonstrated industry’s first 4-Tbps optical solution
2022
$130M Series C
First volume shipments
Technology partnerships formed with HPE, Lockheed Martin, NVIDIA
2021
First Tbps optical link demonstrated
Supply chain partnership formed with MACOM
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
2019
Selected as optical solution for Intel’s DARPA PIPES Project
2018
$24M Series A
Integration into eval boards with Intel FPGA
2017
Strategic partnership formed with GlobalFoundries
Prototype 45nm optical chip
2016
$2M seed round
2015
Company created: Ayar Labs
First ever CPU chip to communicate with optical I/O
2010
First ever monolithic microring transmitters demonstrated
Awards
Most Innovative Companies 2026
America’s Best Startup Employers 2024
The 10 Hottest Semiconductor Startups Of 2023
Next Big Things in Tech 2023
NatSec100 2023
America’s Best Startup Employers 2023
The Photonics 100 2023
2021 Gartner “Cool Vendor” in Silicon Photonics
Tech Startups to Bet Your Career on in 2021
Game Changing Startups 2020