Lightmatter vs OpenLight
Lightmatter vs OpenLight, compared side by side on 14 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Lightmatter is on 63/100 and OpenLight on 33/100.
Where each one leads
Lightmatter
- our overall score: 63/100 against 33/100
- agent readiness: 45/100 against 21/100
- domain rating: 57/100 against 20/100
- funding raised: $400M against $214M
OpenLight
Leads on none of the measures we hold for both companies.
At a glance
| Measure | Lightmatter | OpenLight |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. | OpenLight provides an open silicon photonics platform integrating lasers onto silicon for high-performance optical transceivers and co-packaged optics. |
| Category | Hardware, Semiconductors, Photonics, AI Infrastructure | Silicon Photonics, Photonic Chip Design, Optical Transceivers, Co-Packaged Optics |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Hardware | Platform |
| Founded | 2017 | Not published |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, United States | Santa Barbara, United States |
| Status | Active | Inactive |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Lightmatter | OpenLight |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 318 | Not published |
| Total funding | $400M | $214M |
| Latest round | Series D | Series A-1 |
| Valuation | $4.4B | Not published |
| LinkedIn followers | 63,729 | Not published |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Lightmatter | OpenLight |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 63/100 | 33/100 |
| Traction | 60/100 | 40/100 |
| Team | 10/100 | Not published |
| Community | 8/100 | Not published |
| Search visibility | 39/100 | 13/100 |
| Quality | 78/100 | 40/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (45/100) | F (21/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 57/100 | 20/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Lightmatter | OpenLight |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Not detected | Google Cloud |
| CDN | Cloudflare | Not detected |
| CMS | WordPress | Not detected |
| Frameworks | Alpinejs, Tailwind CSS | Not detected |
| Analytics | Google Analytics 4 | Not detected |
What users say
| Measure | Lightmatter | OpenLight |
|---|---|---|
| Reddit sentimentThreads we track | 1 positive, 0 negative across 5 threads | Not published |
“Lightmatter unveils Guide DR, the AI Industries first liquid-cooled laser NIC that quadruples rack density. This isn’t just a product update—it’s a fundamental rethink of how light powers the data center. The future of AI infrastructure is ”r/u/peterbordes
Lightmatter vs OpenLight: common questions
Which is better, Lightmatter or OpenLight?
On our 0-100 score Lightmatter rates higher (63/100 against 33/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 14 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Lightmatter and OpenLight compare on the numbers?
Lightmatter leads on our overall score (63/100 against 33/100), agent readiness (45/100 against 21/100), domain rating (57/100 against 20/100), funding raised ($400M against $214M).
What do real users say about Lightmatter and OpenLight?
Lightmatter: 1 positive and 0 negative mentions across 5 Reddit threads we track, mostly in r/u/peterbordes.
Read the full Lightmatter review and pricing or the OpenLight review and pricing. You can also browse other Lightmatter alternatives we track.

