HyperLight Corporation
Category: AI Infrastructure
Developer of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) enabling optical interconnects to replace copper in AI data centers HyperLight Corporation was founded in 2018. The company is led by Mian Zhang. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $117.0M. Latest round: Series C. Key investors include MediaTek, Summit Partners, UMC Capital, Jabil, Foxconn, EDBI, Qatar Investment Authority, CDIB-TEN Capital, Xora Innovation, Foothill Ventures, The Engine.
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- Team size
- 101-500
- Total funding
- $117.0M
Value proposition
Ultra-high bandwidth (448 Gbps per lane+), ultra-low power consumption (direct CMOS drive, 1 laser for 8 channels), and scalable CMOS-like manufacturing via TFLN platform — enabling copper replacement in AI data center interconnects
Products and solutions
TFLN Chiplet™ Platform: IMDD Tx PICs (448 Gbps per lane), DPIQ Tx PICs (130-260 Gbaud), Packaged Modulators (up to 145 GHz), Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs, Custom photonic solutions
Unique value
Proprietary thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) Chiplet™ platform combining the superior electro-optic Pockels effect of lithium niobate with scalable semiconductor manufacturing, delivering higher bandwidth and lower power than silicon photonics
Target customer
Hyperscale AI data center operators, optical transceiver manufacturers, telecom equipment providers, data center interconnect (DCI) vendors, test & measurement companies, quantum computing researchers
Industries served
AI/Datacom, Data Center Interconnect (DCI), Telecom (long-haul), Test & Measurement, Quantum Computing, Emerging applications (radio-over-fiber, optical switching, navigation, sensing)
Technology advantage
Patented TFLN Chiplet™ platform; ISO 9001:2015 certified; volume production at tier-1 foundries (millions of dies/year); automated testing up to 125 GHz; multi-year R&D from Harvard's Laboratory for Nanoscale Optics; published in Nature; DARPA-funded development
How they differentiate
HyperLight uses thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) instead of silicon photonics, offering intrinsically higher electro-optic bandwidth, lower drive voltage (CMOS-compatible), and lower optical loss. Its TFLN Chiplet™ platform is production-ready in tier-1 foundries (UMC/Wavetek) on 6-inch and 8-inch wafers with ISO 9001 certification, with deep supply-chain partnerships including UMC, Jabil, Foxconn for volume manufacturing.
Main competitors
Lightium (Switzerland, TFLN), Ligentec (Switzerland, Ayar Labs (US, silicon photonics), Lightmatter (US, photonic computing), Liobate (China, Intel silicon photonics, Cisco optical
Key partnerships
UMC & Wavetek (high-volume foundry production on 6-inch and 8-inch wafers), Jabil (assembly, system integration, supply chain), MediaTek (lead investor, strategic), Foxconn (investor & manufacturing partner), DARPA LUMOS program (laser integration)
Notable customers
Broadcom (TFLN PIC + Taurus DSP platform collaboration), Eoptolink Technology Inc., Ltd. (recognizing TFLN for next-gen optical interconnects), Suzhou TFC Optical Communication Co., Ltd (OEM partner for 1.6T-DR8 reference transceiver demo)
Major milestones
2018: Spinout from Harvard University, 2021: Seed funding, 2022: Series A, 2023: Industry's first production-grade 110 GHz fiber-pigtailed electro-optic modulator shipped, 2024: $37M Series B led by Summit Partners, ISO 9001:2015 certified, 2026: 1.6T-DR8 reference transceiver demo, 400G-per-lane PICs introduced, 145 GHz reference modulators, UMC/Wavetek/Jabil manufacturing partnership, $80M Series C led by MediaTek
Growth metrics
Raised $117M+ across 4 rounds; backed by strategic semiconductor and sovereign investors; production at tier-1 foundry scale (6-inch and 8-inch wafers)
Market positioning
Premium technology challenger positioning TFLN as the successor to silicon photonics for next-generation AI data center interconnects, with strong supply-chain backing from MediaTek, UMC, Foxconn, and Jabil
Geographic focus
Global (headquarters in Cambridge, MA; manufacturing partnerships in Taiwan; sovereign investors from Singapore & Qatar)
Patents and IP
Proprietary patented TFLN Chiplet™ platform; multiple patents around thin-film lithium niobate waveguide fabrication and integrated photonic circuit design (per company website)
About Mian Zhang
Ex-Harvard Postdoc (Harvard SEAS, Lab for Nanoscale Optics); PhD from Cornell University in Applied Physics
Official website: https://hyperlightcorp.com