UPDATED 13:13 EDT / NOVEMBER 05 2020

EMERGING TECH

Ayar Labs raises $35M for light-based chip communications

Startup Ayar Labs Inc. today said that it has raised $35 million for its optical interconnect technology, which enables chips inside supercomputers and other systems to communicate with each other using light.

The technology is based on a decade-long research collaboration between MIT, the University of California at Berkeley and Colorado University at Boulder that was funded by DARPA, the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Data travels frequently while it’s processed. When a document is being edited, the ones and zeros that make it up are pulled from the memory chip into the processor, which then sends any file modifications that the user makes back to memory. In supercomputers and data centers where a large number of processors work side-by-side, information constantly moves among chips.

This regular movement means that data travel accounts for a significant percentage of the time it takes to carry out calculations. Ayar Labs’ optical technology promises to speed up data travel, and thereby increase computing performance, by transmitting information from memory to the processor and between processors using light waves. The startup says its approach can enable up to 1,000 higher interconnect bandwidth density than the copper wires traditionally used for the task, while consuming less power.

Ayar’s flagship product is a chip called TeraPhy that implements its optical technology on a compact silicon die. The chip can be integrated directly into a central processing unit, graphics card or another processor to give it optical data transmission capabilities. TeraPhy transmits data via eight “light channels” that Ayar says can together theoretically transport tens of terabits per second.

The promised benefits for hardware makers are manyfold. The speed at which data can be transmitted between chips in a multiprocessor system is a performance bottleneck, meaning the big bandwidth boost promised by Ayar could facilitate the creation of more powerful server clusters and supercomputers. TeraPhy’s small size is also an advantage. By replacing bulky traditional network equipment, the chip could free up space in server closets and thereby simplify system design.

Ayar Labs believes it’s wel-positioned to commercialize its technology because TeraPhy can be made using existing, industry-standard semiconductor fabrication gear. That means chipmakers could adopt the startup’s technology without investing in new manufacturing processes.

Major chip industry players are already showing interest in TeraPhy. Earlier this year, Intel Corp. and Ayar announced that they had successfully integrated TeraPhy into a field-programmable gate array, demonstrating data transfer rates of 2 terabits per second.

Intel was among the investors in the $35 million round announced today. Downing Ventures and BlueSky Capital jointly led the round. Ayar said that it will use the new capital to boost its technology commercialization efforts and to expand internationally. 

“Over the last year, we have continued to invest and grow our organization, and have demonstrated a number of technology firsts while securing additional customer and ecosystem relationships,” said Ayar Labs Chief Executive Officer Charles Wuischpard.

Photo: Ayar Labs

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