Ayar Labs
Funding History
| Series D · 12/2024 | $1.0B |
|---|---|
| Series E · 03/2026 | $3.8B |
About
Ayar Labs' technology is built around two products: the TeraPHY optical I/O chiplet, which carries data optically at up to 8 terabits per second bidirectionally and is the first chiplet to carry UCIe traffic optically, and the SuperNova external light source, a laser module that powers multiple TeraPHY chiplets from outside the package. The chiplets are manufactured using GlobalFoundries' 45SPCLO silicon-photonics process.
- founded
- 2015
- headquarters
- San Jose / Emeryville, California
- totalFundingRaised
- $1.02B
- latestValuation
- $3.75B
- employees
- ~233 (July 2026)
Overview
Ayar Labs, founded in 2015 as a spinout of research at MIT and UC Berkeley, designs in-package optical input/output technology for AI and high-performance computing systems. Its TeraPHY optical I/O chiplets and SuperNova multi-wavelength light source attach directly to GPUs, CPUs, and switch silicon, moving data optically instead of over copper traces to cut the power and latency penalties that limit how large an AI cluster can scale.
The company is backed by strategic investors across the AI hardware supply chain, including AMD, NVIDIA, Intel, MediaTek, and Taiwanese manufacturing and data-center partners, alongside institutional investors such as Neuberger Berman, ARK Invest, Insight Partners, and the Qatar Investment Authority. Ayar Labs is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with engineering sites in Taiwan and, as of September 2026, a new design center in Bengaluru, India.
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