Enlightra launches with $15M to develop laser links for data centers, AI apps

24 Dec 2025

Swiss-US startup building chip-scale multi-wavelength sources for data transmission.

Enlightra, a Swiss-American “deep-tech” startup building chip-scale multi-wavelength lasers for next-generation data transmission, has announced it has raised a total of $15 million in funding.

The Lausanne-based company says its laser sources are specified “to tackle the biggest bottleneck in AI infrastructure: fast and energy efficient data transfer”. Pilot production is set to start in 2027.

As AI clusters and data centers expand, Enlightra’s laser technology will replace copper links with compact ultra-high bandwidth optical links that move data faster while consuming dramatically less power. The market for such energy-efficient interconnects is projected to reach $24 billion by 2030, according to McKinsey.

The funding has enabled Enlightra to develop and demonstrate its multi-wavelength laser technology, which, it says will connect computing chips (GPUs, TPUs) in AI clusters “faster and more efficiently than copper cables”. Investors include Y Combinator, Runa Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Protocol Labs, Halo Labs, Asymmetry Ventures and TRAC VC, among others.

“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.”

Modern AI training demands ever-faster links between GPUs, contends Enlightra. Yet most connections still rely on copper wiring, limited by both speed and power. Industry leaders such as NVidia, Broadcom, Google, and META are already investing significantly in optical interconnects to keep pace with exponential data growth.

Rewiring the AI era

Enlightra says that its multi-wavelength laser technology “can replace dozens of discrete lasers with a single integrated source to cut power, cost, and footprint”. John Jost, co-founder and CEO, commented, “Using more colors is the only way to fully utilize the capacity of modern optical fiber networks. Our technology enables AI clusters and data centers to scale efficiently by separating performance growth from energy and the cost increases.”

Built using silicon photonics fabrication processes, Enlightra says its lasers can be produced at massive scale – “opening the door to millions of units per year for global data center deployment”.

With a 25-person team, Enlightra has designed and built 8- and 16-channel lasers meeting customer specifications for AI chip interconnects, achieving error-free data transmission at target speeds and power levels.

“AI is driving an optical revolution,” said Dmitry Galperin, General Partner at Runa Capital. “Enlightra’s multiwavelength lasers are a foundational technology for the next decade of high-performance computing, bringing the efficiency and scalability the industry urgently needs.”

Founded in 2022 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Enlightra operates at the intersection of photonics, semiconductor manufacturing, and AI infrastructure. The company has participated in Y Combinator (W22) and Intel Ignite (2023), and is co-led by John Jost and Maxim Karpov. Jost’s work has contributed to two Nobel Prize–winning advances in quantum computing and optical frequency combs, while Karpov was named an MIT Innovator Under 35 in 2025.