# Lightmatter

**Source:** https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter
**Profile type:** Startup

> Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency.

## About

Lightmatter creates photonic supercomputing hardware, including 3D-stacked photonic chips and interconnects, that use light instead of electricity to move data and perform calculations. Their technology addresses critical bottlenecks in AI data centers, such as bandwidth, latency, and power consumption, enabling more scalable and efficient AI model training and inference.

## Key facts

- **Slug:** lightmatter
- **Website:** https://lightmatter.co
- **Location:** Mountain View, United States
- **Founded:** 2017-09-01
- **Employees:** 318
- **Operating status:** Active
- **Total funding:** $400M
- **Sectors / tags:** Hardware, Semiconductors, Photonics, AI Infrastructure, Data Center, AI Hardware & Chips, Photonic Chip Design, Semiconductor, Chip Design, Data Center Technology, High-Performance Computing
- **Social:**
  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightmatter
  - Twitter: https://x.com/lightmatterco
  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightmatterco

## Frequently asked

### What does Lightmatter do?

Lightmatter creates photonic supercomputing hardware, including 3D-stacked photonic chips and interconnects, that use light instead of electricity to move data and perform calculations. Their technology addresses critical bottlenecks in AI data centers, such as bandwidth, latency, and power consumption, enabling more scalable and efficient AI model training and inference.

### How much funding has Lightmatter raised?

Lightmatter has raised a total of $400M in funding. The most recent round on record is Series D.

### Where is Lightmatter headquartered?

Lightmatter is headquartered in Mountain View, United States.

### When was Lightmatter founded?

Lightmatter was founded in 2017.

### What industry does Lightmatter operate in?

Lightmatter operates in Hardware, Semiconductors, Photonics, AI Infrastructure, Data Center, AI Hardware & Chips.

### How many employees does Lightmatter have?

Lightmatter has approximately 318 people on record.

### What is Lightmatter's revenue?

StartupHub estimates Lightmatter's annual revenue at $160.0M (range $83.3M to $279.4M, 66% confidence), based on comparable companies in the sector.

### What is Lightmatter's valuation?

StartupHub estimates Lightmatter's effective valuation at $3.5B (range $2.5B to $4.6B, 34% confidence), based on comparable companies in the sector.

## JSON-LD

Structured data aligned with this page's `<script type="application/ld+json">` (included when the profile is server-rendered).

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://www.startuphub.ai"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Startups",
          "item": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Lightmatter",
          "item": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "ProfilePage",
      "@id": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter#webpage",
      "url": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter",
      "name": "Lightmatter - AI Startup Profile | StartupHub.ai",
      "description": "This is the official profile of Lightmatter. Lightmatter is a startup founded in 2017, operating in Hardware and Semiconductors. Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. Headquartered in Mountain View, United States. The company has approximately 318 employees.",
      "dateModified": "2026-07-01T09:30:43.137864+00:00",
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter#organization",
      "name": "Lightmatter",
      "url": "https://lightmatter.co",
      "logo": "https://cdn.startuphub.ai/storage/v1/object/public/entity-images/logos/52adb47d-27cc-42de-b47a-4a00f98f4aea-square.webp",
      "image": "https://cdn.startuphub.ai/storage/v1/object/public/entity-images/logos/52adb47d-27cc-42de-b47a-4a00f98f4aea-square.webp",
      "description": "This is the official profile of Lightmatter. Lightmatter is a startup founded in 2017, operating in Hardware and Semiconductors. Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. Headquartered in Mountain View, United States. The company has approximately 318 employees.",
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightmatter",
        "https://x.com/lightmatterco",
        "https://www.facebook.com/lightmatterco",
        "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter"
      ],
      "foundingDate": "2017-09-01",
      "numberOfEmployees": {
        "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
        "value": 318
      },
      "address": {
        "@type": "PostalAddress",
        "addressLocality": "Mountain View",
        "addressCountry": "US"
      },
      "knowsAbout": [
        "Hardware",
        "Semiconductors",
        "Photonics",
        "AI Infrastructure",
        "Data Center",
        "AI Hardware & Chips",
        "Photonic Chip Design",
        "Semiconductor",
        "Chip Design",
        "Data Center Technology",
        "High-Performance Computing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "Product",
      "@id": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter#profile-assessment",
      "name": "Lightmatter - StartupHub.ai Profile Assessment",
      "url": "https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter",
      "image": "https://cdn.startuphub.ai/storage/v1/object/public/entity-images/logos/52adb47d-27cc-42de-b47a-4a00f98f4aea-square.webp",
      "category": "Hardware",
      "description": "This is the official profile of Lightmatter. Lightmatter is a startup founded in 2017, operating in Hardware and Semiconductors. Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. Headquartered in Mountain View, United States. The company has approximately 318 employees. Agent Readiness score: 37/100. Full audit: https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter/agent-readiness",
      "brand": {
        "@type": "Brand",
        "name": "Lightmatter"
      },
      "review": {
        "@type": "Review",
        "author": {
          "@type": "Organization",
          "name": "StartupHub.ai"
        },
        "datePublished": "2026-07-01",
        "name": "Lightmatter - Profile Score 69/100",
        "reviewBody": "This is the official profile of Lightmatter. Lightmatter is a startup founded in 2017, operating in Hardware and Semiconductors. Developing photonic computing and interconnect technology to accelerate AI infrastructure and improve energy efficiency. Headquartered in Mountain View, United States. The company has approximately 318 employees. Agent Readiness score: 37/100. Full audit: https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/lightmatter/agent-readiness",
        "reviewRating": {
          "@type": "Rating",
          "ratingValue": 69,
          "bestRating": 100,
          "worstRating": 0
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
```
