Enlightra Emerges from Stealth Build the Future of Energy-Efficient Laser Links for AI and Data Centers

Enlightra, building scalable, extreme-bandwidth, and low-power optical interconnects for the future of computing and communications, led by John Jost, Maxim Karpov, Théophile Mounier, and others, has announced it has raised a total of $15 million in funding to tackle the biggest bottleneck in AI infrastructure: fast and energy-efficient data transfer. The company’s investors include Y Combinator, Runa Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Protocol Labs, Halo Labs, Asymmetry Ventures, and TRAC VC, among others.

As AI clusters and data centers grow, Enlightra’s laser technology replaces copper wiring with compact, ultra-high-bandwidth optical links that move data faster while using far less power. The market for such energy-efficient interconnects is projected to reach $24 billion by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company.

The funding has enabled Enlightra to develop and showcase its multi-color laser technology, allowing for faster and more efficient connections between computing chips in AI clusters.

“The world’s AI infrastructure is reaching copper’s limits,” said Maxim Karpov, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Enlightra. “Our lasers enable energy-efficient connectivity, making light the backbone of GPU communication.”

Modern AI training demands faster GPU connections, yet most rely on copper wiring, limited by speed and power. Enlightra’s multi-color lasers consolidate dozens of lasers into a single source, cutting power, cost, and footprint while enabling multiple high-bandwidth channels. Built with silicon photonics, the lasers can be mass-produced for global data center deployment.

Enlightra’s 25-person team has developed 8- and 16-channel lasers for AI chip interconnects, achieving error-free data transmission, with pilot production planned for 2027. The scalable comb-laser platform could power optical links across data centers, subsea cables, and chip-to-memory connections, with potential in quantum and space communications.

Founded in 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Enlightra is co-led by John Jost, a contributor to two Nobel-winning advances, and Maxim Karpov, recognized in Photonics100 and MIT Innovator Under 35.