The round, which saw higher demand than supply, was led by Matter Venture Partners, with participation from new investors Acclimate Ventures and Catapult Ventures, along with existing investors Xora Innovation, Capricorn Investment Group, Mayfield and New Legacy.
“At Matter Venture Partners, we are thrilled to lead this investment round in OpenLight. Optical technology is fundamental to the future expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure. We believe that OpenLight’s integrated, heterogeneous silicon photonics platform will be the key ingredient for this global expansion of optical connectivity, where power and bandwidth are critical,” said Wen Hsieh, Founding Partner and Director of Matter Venture Partners.
OpenLight's Process Design Kit (PDK), based on heterogeneous integration of indium phosphide and silicon photonics, offers customers a comprehensive library of passive and active components, including integrated lasers, modulators, amplifiers, and detectors. Validated at the Tower Semiconductor photonics foundry, its PDK ensures that designs are production-ready from day one. Using these proven components, customers can develop custom PASICs that simplify advanced chip design and accelerate time to market.
Currently, more than 25 companies use OpenLight's PDK to design and manufacture PASICs in a wide range of applications. OpenLight holds more than 410 patents covering its PDK and the fabrication of heterogeneously integrated III-V photonics.
“We are thrilled to have Wen Hsieh and the Matter Venture Partners team as investors in OpenLight. Their connection to the semiconductor ecosystem will be a key asset as we scale our technology and customer base. The strong interest from leaders in the semiconductor industry underscores the momentum behind OpenLight’s technology and vision,” said Adam Carter, President and CEO of OpenLight.
"This funding round, which has exceeded expectations, brings us highly sophisticated investment partners who will enable us to accelerate our strategic roadmap, expand sales and technical support globally, and bring heterogeneous photonic integrated circuits to global markets at scale.".
The new funding will further accelerate the expansion of OpenLight's PDK library of active and passive photonic components, including its state-of-the-art 400G modulator and heterogeneously integrated indium phosphide on-chip laser technology. The company will also ramp up development of standards-based reference photonic integrated circuits (PICs) at 1.6T and 3.2T, offering the industry's most flexible and advanced component design libraries.
