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AvicenaTech develops ultra low energy optical interconnects based on microLED technology. Its modular interconnect platform enables die-to-die links with multi-terabit per second (Tbps) data rates over medium-reach distances, designed for high-bandwidth computing needs. The product works by using microLED-based optical links to transmit data efficiently between dies, sensors, memory, and other components, forming a scalable, high-density interconnect fabric. Compared with competitors, AvicenaTech emphasizes higher bandwidth density and lower energy per bit through its microLED optical approach and a modular platform that can serve HPC, AI/ML workloads, memory disaggregation, as well as 5G, sensors, and aerospace applications. The company's goal is to provide energy-efficient, high-speed interconnects for data centers, HPC/AI ecosystems, and related semiconductor and telecommunications markets, enabling faster data movement and new system architectures.
Industries
Hardware
Industrial & Manufacturing
AI & Machine Learning
Aerospace
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$96.5M
Headquarters
Mountain View, California
Founded
2019
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Total Funding
$96.5M
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Avicena ships world's first 1Tbps evaluation kits, extending its leadership in microLED optical interconnects. * 2 hrs ago Avicena, the pioneer in microLED-based optical interconnects, today announced that it has begun shipping 1 Tbps LightBundle(TM) evaluation kits (eKits) to customers and partners developing next-generation AI infrastructure. The shipment milestone follows the introduction and demonstration of the LightBundle eKit in March 2026 at the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC26) and advances the platform from initial evaluation availability to terabit-class operation in customer laboratories. The latest LightBundle eKit incorporates a 335-channel microLED array, with each microLED data channel operating up to 3 Gbps, coupled with an Avicena multicore fiber bundle to a 335-element integrated photodiode array. Together, the channels provide up to 1Tbps of aggregate raw throughput displaying the core advantages of Avicena's laser-free optical architecture: low power, high bandwidth density, robust operation at elevated temperatures, and flexible reach beyond the practical limits of copper interconnects. Anne Hathaway hints at 'story breakthrough' for The Princess Diaries 3 The platform enables hyperscalers, AI accelerator and memory developers, networking companies, and system architects to evaluate terabit-class microLED optical connectivity for both AI scale-in and scale-up applications. Target use cases include die-to-die and die-to-memory links, XPU-to-XPU connectivity, and XPU-to-switch interconnects. A Terabit-Class Platform for AI Connectivity AI systems are driving rapid increases in the bandwidth required between accelerators, memory, and switch fabrics. As link rates rise, copper interconnects face increasing challenges in reach, routing density, and energy efficiency. Conventional optical solutions based on lasers and silicon photonics can extend reach, but have power, bandwidth density, cost, and reliability challenges. Avicena's LightBundle technology replaces lasers with dense microLED transmitter arrays coupled through a multi-core fiber bundle to integrated photodetector arrays. This architecture is designed to deliver high bandwidth density and energy-efficient optical connectivity while operating reliably across demanding system temperatures. The 1 Tbps eKit gives engineering teams a complete platform for evaluating link behavior in their own laboratories. Host interface boards, integrated diagnostics, and a graphical user interface support a set of features, including characterization of optical signal integrity, link budgets, eye quality, crosstalk, power efficiency, and bit error rate performance. "Shipping our 1 Tbps LightBundle(TM) eKits extends Avicena's microLED-based optical interconnect leadership and represents a significant milestone in delivering the terabit-class connectivity required to scale next-generation AI infrastructure," said Marco Chisari, CEO of Avicena. "LightBundle addresses the bandwidth density, power, reliability, reach and cost requirements that are critical for scale-in and scale-up links, such as XPU-to-XPU, XPU-to-memory, XPU-to-CPU and XPU-to-switch connectivity." "Avicena shipments of a 1 Tbps LightBundle(TM) evaluation platform is a meaningful milestone for the optical-interconnect industry and reinforces the company's pioneering leadership in microLED-based connectivity," said Bob Wheeler, Analyst at Large at LightCounting. "Providing AI infrastructure developers with a practical terabit-class platform enables them to evaluate microLED technology for demanding XPU-to-XPU, XPU-to-memory, and XPU-to-switch links. This advances microLED interconnects towards production for next-generation AI scale-in and scale-up architectures." Availability Avicena is now shipping 1 Tbps LightBundle eKits. Organizations interested in evaluating the platform or discussing LightBundle integration may contact Avicena at [email protected]. Recorded Video Demonstration of LightBundle(TM) eKit Achieving 1 Tbps Throughput The following link (https://youtu.be/EwJNvIM3Dbs) provides a recorded video of a live demonstration showcasing LightBundle(TM) eKit achieving 1 Tbps throughput. The demonstration offers a firsthand view of the platform's high-performance capabilities and operation. Contacting Avicena team For questions regarding LightBundle(TM) eKit or other business inquiries, please contact: [email protected]. About Avicena Avicena Tech Corp. is a privately held company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, pioneering microLED-based optical interconnects for AI infrastructure. Avicena's LightBundle(TM) technology enables low-power optical connectivity with high reliability, scalability, and bandwidth density, helping semiconductor and datacenter innovators build the next generation of AI systems.
[Insight] OFC 2026 - connecting the world. The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) was hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center from March 17-19, 2026. As the world's largest annual event in optical communications, the OFC not only celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 but also attracted interest at OFC 2026 due to the rise of generative AI technology. This year, over 706 industry leaders from 91 countries worldwide convened, along with 115 guest speakers and more than 17,800 attendees. Together, they addressed key global issues, including quantum networking, artificial intelligence (AI), space optics, and data center connectivity, to offer solutions. Topic One: Micro LED CPO ams OSRAM has accumulated nearly 15 years of experience in Micro LED technology through its Micro LED headlight module, EVIYOS. In addition, the company has been actively developing Micro LED solutions for optical communications together with end customers for more than three years. Building on this foundation, ams OSRAM is preparing for the introduction of its own Micro LED-based optical datacom products, targeting a market launch in 2027. These solutions are expected to combine Micro LED emitters, optics, and dedicated ASICs. Microsoft MOSAIC proposed a Micro LED CPO architecture, with MediaTek providing the AOC integration solution. Avicena showcased its LightBundle eKit demo at OFC, achieving a low bit error rate (BER) of <=10[−]9 and a transmission distance of 5 meters at 512 Gbps. Avicena indicated that its 512 Gbps Micro LED optical interconnect is ready for market, and its 896 Gbps solution will be launched in 2Q26. bEMC In response to the optical communication market, bEMC offers 4-inch semi-polar COW and 6-inch semi-polar COC. The company can also provide Micro LED CPO solutions (including coupling) through supply chain integration. Topic Two: Infrared Optical Communications Lumentum has actively ramped up its capacity for 100 / 200 Gbps EMLs and 70 / 100mW CW LDs, while launching new high-bandwidth EML products delivering 400 Gbps/Lane to meet the market demand for 3.2 Tbps connectivity. Meanwhile, the company successfully launched 400mW CW LDs in 2025, followed by the introduction of 800mW CW LDs at OFC. The latter offer >800mW optical power at 50°C, with <100 kHz linewidth and >40 dB side mode suppression ratio (SMSR), significantly improving signal quality in optical communications. In addition, the company has showcased 1,060nm VCSEL optical interconnection solutions. Coherent is ramping 6-inch InP wafer manufacturing to support high-volume production, while developing 400mW CW laser for silicon photonics based pluggable transceivers and co-packaged optics. To meet the emerging market demand for 3.2Tbps connectivity, the company demonstrated two solutions: one for 420Gbps/Lane EMLs and the other for 420Gbps silicon photonics PICs. Moreover, it partnered with three DSP industry leaders, Broadcom, NVIDIA, and Marvell, to develop 1.6Tbps FRO/TRO transceivers. LPO transceivers, in particular, remove the need for DSPs. Despite a higher bit error rate and a limited range of applications, the LPO approach can significantly reduce power consumption and address thermal issues, making it a particularly attractive solution alongside SiPh CPO designs. WIN Semiconductors is the world's largest 150mm GaAs foundry. Standing out from other GaAs suppliers, the company offers turnkey solutions including epi-wafer, chip fabrication, AOI inspection, and coating. WIN Semiconductors has developed Ridge Waveguide (RWG) and Buried Heterostructure (BH) technologies for CW LDs. Compared with RWG, BH delivers higher current density and output power. Comparatively, backside-emitting VCSELs feature flip-chips and etching directly into GaAs substrates, along with the combination of micro bumps and micro lenses to minimize parasitic effects. This approach effectively improves product characterization and enables a smaller package design, making it suitable for 100 Gbps or 100 m optical communications and 3D sensing solutions for automotive or consumer electronics. Dexerials acquired Kyoto Semiconductor and successfully launched 200 Gbps InGaAs photodiodes. These photodiodes feature a low dark current of only 10nA at 2V, a bandwidth of 50 GHz, and a responsivity of 0.7 A/W. Mitsubishi Electric has successfully launched a 100 Gbps uncooled EML and a 200 Gbps cooled EML. 200 Gbps uncooled EML is to be released in the next phase, aiming for short-range transmission around 100 meters. AOI With a portfolio spanning EMLs / CW LDs, photodiodes, and transceivers, the company recently secured a purchase order worth over USD 200 million for 1.6 Tbps transceivers. At the OFC, AOI demonstrated the high stability of its 800 Gbps / 1.6 Tbps transceivers and the testing results obtained from its 6.4 Tbps OBO optical engines. These devices are made with AOI's 400mW LDs and paired with SiPh PICs, achieving highly efficient optical communications using a 32 x 200 Gbps/Lane signaling technology. Optoway Specializing in EML / CW LD chips, package, and transceivers, offers 100 / 200 Gbps EMLs and 70 / 100mW CW LDs, alongside transceiver customization services. LuxNet is dedicated to EML / CW LD chips, package, and transceiver foundry services, and has developed a similar portfolio featuring 100 / 200 Gbps EMLs and 70 / 100mW CW LDs. NTT Innovative Devices showcased its 102.4 Tbps SiPh CPO, which integrates a Broadcom third-generation Ethernet switch, Tomahawk 6, and is compatible with ELSFPs from four suppliers, including CPT, Furukawa, FIT, and O-NET, achieving 102.4 Tbps with 16 units of 16.4 Tbps optical engines. Cisco showcased its 51.2 Tbps SiPh CPO, equipped with 64 units of 800 Gbps FR8 optical engines, a complete liquid cooling solution, and a monitoring system. Its product lifespan meets the requirements of cloud service providers. OFC 2026 Takeaways * Wide and Slow: Driven by the surge of generative AI, demand for high-speed optical communications is accelerating. Micro LEDs boast low power consumption of 1-2 pJ/bit, bandwidth density up to 20 Tbps/mm[2], and a low bit error rate (BER) of <=10[−15], making them well-positioned as a promising alternative to copper interconnects and the go-to solution for short-range, high-speed intra-rack connectivity in scale-up data center networking. In parallel, suppliers including Lumentum and Coherent are launching VCSEL NPO solutions to meet the short-reach transmission demand. * Investment and R&D: To meet the bandwidth requirements beyond 1.6 Tbps, EML and CW LD players are aggressively expanding capacity. In addition, Dexerials is scaling its photodiode production footprint to enhance product performance in terms of sensitivity and response time. * Short Term and Long Term: To address the escalating energy and thermal bottlenecks in data centers, linear pluggable optics (LPO) and SiPh CPO technology have emerged as new market spotlights. TrendForce 2026 Infrared Sensing Application Market and Branding Strategies Release: 01 January 2026 Format: PDF / EXCEL Language: Traditional Chinese / English Page: 168 TrendForce 2025 Micro LED Display and Non-Display Application Market Analysis Release: 29 May / 30 November 2025 Languages: Traditional Chinese / English Format: PDF Page: 119 | If you would like to know more details, please contact: | Global Contact: | / | ShenZhen: | | Grace Li E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +886-2-8978-6488 ext.916 | / | Perry Wang E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +86-755-82838931 ext.6800 Disclaimers of Warranties 1. The website does not warrant the following: 1.1 The services from the website meets your requirement; 1.2 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the service; 1.3 The accuracy, reliability of conclusions drawn from using the service; 1.4 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness, or security of any information that you download from the website 2. 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Avicena has launched the LightBundle eKit, the industry's first evaluation platform for microLED optical connectivity in AI infrastructure. The kit enables hyperscalers and AI system architects to test next-generation optical links designed to overcome bandwidth, reach and energy limitations of copper interconnects. The platform integrates 320 microLED data channels supporting up to 896 Gbps throughput with 5-metre and 10-metre optical fibre connectivity. It achieves raw bit error rates better than 10⁻¹² at 512 Gbps without forward error correction. MicroLED technology eliminates lasers entirely, enabling reliable low-energy operation at elevated temperatures whilst delivering terabit-per-millimetre bandwidth density. The LightBundle eKit will be available to select partners in March 2026, with broader availability planned for Q2 2026. Avicena is demonstrating the technology at OFC 2026 in booth 324.
Avicena launches the World's First microLED Optical interconnect evaluation kit for AI Infrastructure innovators. LightBundle(TM) eKit will demonstrate 512 Gbps links at OFC 2026. SUNNYVALE, CA - March 12, 2026 - Avicena, the pioneer in microLED-based optical interconnects, today announced the LightBundle(TM) eKit, the industry's first evaluation platform for microLED optical connectivity using ASIC-based transceivers with integrated LED, photodetector (PD) and micro-lens arrays connected via a multi-core fiber bundle. The kit enables hyperscaler, AI accelerator, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), networking, and AI infrastructure architects to evaluate next-generation optical links designed to overcome the bandwidth, reach, routing and energy limitations of copper interconnects in AI systems. As AI clusters scale to tens of thousands of AI accelerators (XPUs), interconnect bandwidth and power consumption emerge as critical bottlenecks. MicroLED optical interconnects provide a new approach that offers longer reach at higher bandwidths compared to copper interconnects while eliminating lasers entirely, enabling low energy per bit, increasing reliability even at elevated temperatures and delivering terabit-per-millimeter bandwidth density. LightBundle(TM) eKit provides system designers with a practical platform to evaluate microLED technology for AI scale-in (die-to-die and die-to-memory connectivity) and scale-up (XPU-to-XPU and XPU-to-switch connectivity) architectures. "As AI clusters expand to tens of thousands of XPUs, copper interconnects face fundamental limits in bandwidth, reach, routing, and energy efficiency. MicroLED optical technology enables a new class of interconnects that reduce power consumption while delivering the bandwidth density and reliability required for next-generation AI systems. LightBundle(TM) eKit gives system architects the first platform to evaluate microLED optical connectivity. Our customers and partners can now measure bit error rates, optical link budgets, crosstalk performance and power efficiency in their own engineering labs." - Marco Chisari, CEO of Avicena X This Enabling the Next Generation of AI Infrastructure AI training and inference clusters depend on thousands of high-bandwidth links connecting accelerators, memory, and switch fabrics. As these interconnect bandwidths approach the multi-terabits per second phase, traditional copper interconnects reach physical limits in reach, routing and power efficiency. At the same time, conventional optical technologies based on lasers and silicon photonics introduce reliability challenges, higher power consumption, and thermal sensitivity. MicroLED optical interconnects eliminate lasers entirely, enabling reliable low energy operation at elevated temperatures while delivering terabit-per-millimeter bandwidth density. This architecture significantly reduces the power required for short-reach optical links, addressing one of the fastest-growing energy challenges in AI datacenters. "One of the biggest things I'm tracking in 2026 is the advances in optical connectivity for scale-up AI infrastructure because we're reaching the point where copper-based interconnects are now running into fundamental bandwidth scaling limits in reach, routing and power-efficiency. What makes microLED-based interconnects compelling is how reliability, power efficiency, and bandwidth density are all being tackled. With the availability of the Avicena LightBundle(TM) eKit, the AI infrastructure ecosystem can now directly evaluate and benchmark microLED interconnects against optical alternatives to determine their future system architectures." - Ian Cutress, Chief Analyst and CEO, More Than Moore X This LightBundle(TM) eKit: World's First Platform for microLED Optical I/O LightBundle(TM) eKit is a complete ASIC-based evaluation platform designed for partners developing next-generation AI sub-systems and systems. Avicena will be demonstrating the eKit at their OFC booth (#324) supporting 512 Gbps links and plans to support up to 896 Gbps throughput in Q2. The eKit platform integrates: * 320 microLED data channels operating up to 3.5 Gbps * 256 active and 64 spare channels for redundancy * Up to 896 Gbps data link throughput * Raw BER better than 10[−][9] without any forward error correction at 512 Gbps * 5-meter and 10-meter optical fiber connectivity LightBundle(TM) eKit is comprised of host interface boards, reference drivers, integrated diagnostics, and a graphical user interface (GUI) driven by a customized software configuration testing platform. This enables engineers to evaluate and characterize microLED interconnect optical signal integrity, link budgets, open eye monitoring, power efficiency, crosstalk performance, and generate bit error rate bathtub curves. "As AI clusters expand to tens of thousands of XPUs, copper interconnects face fundamental limits in bandwidth, reach, routing, and energy efficiency," said Marco Chisari, CEO of Avicena. "MicroLED optical technology enables a new class of interconnects that reduce power consumption while delivering the bandwidth density and reliability required for next-generation AI systems. LightBundle(TM) eKit gives system architects the first platform to evaluate microLED optical connectivity. Our customers and partners can now measure bit error rates, optical link budgets, crosstalk performance and power efficiency in their own engineering labs." "One of the biggest things I'm tracking in 2026 is the advances in optical connectivity for scale-up AI infrastructure because we're reaching the point where copper-based interconnects are now running into fundamental bandwidth scaling limits in reach, routing and power-efficiency," said Ian Cutress, Chief Analyst and CEO, More Than Moore. "What makes microLED-based interconnects compelling is how reliability, power efficiency, and bandwidth density are all being tackled. With the availability of the Avicena LightBundle(TM) eKit, the AI infrastructure ecosystem can now directly evaluate and benchmark microLED interconnects against optical alternatives to determine their future system architectures." Availability LightBundle(TM) eKit will be available to select early-access partners in March 2026, with broader availability planned for Q2 2026. Live Demonstration at OFC 2026 Avicena will be demonstrating the LightBundle(TM) eKit at its OFC 2026 booth (#324) throughout the exhibition. Attendees interested in learning more or scheduling a dedicated meeting can contact the Avicena team in advance or visit the booth during show hours. Contacting Avicena team For questions regarding LightBundle(TM) eKit or other business inquiries, please contact: [email protected] About Avicena. Avicena Tech Corp. is a privately held company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, pioneering microLED-based optical interconnects for AI infrastructure. Avicena's LightBundle(TM) technology enables low-power optical connectivity with high reliability, scalability, and bandwidth density, helping semiconductor and datacenter innovators build the next generation of AI systems.
CEA Leti, Avicena, and Microsoft target AI interconnects with microLEDs. Lab-to-fab initiative launched at Semicon Europa as Avicena introduces new ultra-low-power 'LightBundle' links. Typically touted for their suitability in next-generation displays and mixed reality hardware, microLEDs now look set to make an impact in a completely different application area - AI infrastructure. During this week's Semicon Europa event in Munich, Germany, the giant French research lab CEA Leti launched a three-year initiative to develop microLEDs for ultrafast data transfer, while US startup Avicena has launched a new ultra-low-power microLED interconnect at the SuperCompute 2025 show in St Louis. On top of that, a team at Microsoft has developed prototype microLED links that are said to break the typical trade-off between speed, cost, energy consumption, and reliability. Lab-to-fab CEA Leti says that its "lab-to-fab" effort, slated to kick off in January, draws on the research institute's deep expertise in microLED process technology. Open to all parties in the microelectronics supply chain - and looking to engage makers of microLEDs, optical fibers, photodiodes, and interconnects, as well as chipmakers, system integrators, and hyperscalers - the project is said to be aiming for "orders-of-magnitude" data transfer gains. Lab CEO Sébastien Dauvé explained the thinking thus: "Over the past decade, the computing power required to train leading-edge AI models has exploded by factors of millions, doubling roughly every three to four months as systems become more complex and data-hungry. "Supercomputers demand ever-faster communication links with very high energy efficiency and ultra-low latency - but interconnect performance is lagging behind compute power. That gap calls for a paradigm shift capable of boosting high-performance computing speed by orders of magnitude." At the moment AI infrastructure relies on a combination of legacy copper interconnects and laser-based solutions, with the latter able to provide speedy connectivity but at the expense of cost and power consumption - partly because of the threshold current that must be exceeded before a laser emits light. Microsoft's MOSAIC prototype On the other hand microLEDs can emit light even at extremely low currents - with CEA Leti suggesting that they offer a compelling alternative, consuming less energy than either copper- or laser-based systems. That advantage has also been noted by Microsoft, whose recent "MOSAIC" project results suggest that microLEDs can break the fundamental trade-off between reach, power, and reliability. According to a Microsoft research paper presented at September's SIGCOMM event in Portugal, the prototype MOSAIC technology - which also uses printed micro-optics - is able to deliver ten times the reach of copper, while reducing power consumption by up to two-thirds, and much-improved reliability compared with today's laser-based optical links. "MicroLED represents a true paradigm shift for short-range optical, point-to-point data interconnects," Dauvé added. "It delivers extremely high data-density transfer rates with far better energy efficiency than current technologies. "Unlike silicon photonics or VCSEL [links], microLED is scalable for massive parallel communication. By combining the complementary expertise of our program members, we aim to break through the interconnect power and density bottlenecks that limit next-generation computing." Femtojoule energy consumption Avicena is looking to make a more immediate impact with its new "LightBundle" microLED links, which are said to offer 4 Gb/s lane speed alongside transmitter currents as low as 100 μA per LED. "While silicon photonics can achieve low effective power by splitting a single external laser across many resonant modulators, microLEDs inherently generate their own light, dramatically simplifying packaging," points out the US firm. "Avicena microLED transmitters are only a few microns in size, require no temperature stabilization, and avoid complex control loops. These microscopic emitters can be arrayed at extremely high density to deliver terabits of aggregate bandwidth." The LightBundle chiplet transceivers are described as well-suited to various packaging architectures - including co-packaged optics (CPO), on-board optics (OBO), pluggable optical modules, and wide memory interconnects. Avicena's chief scientist Rob Kalman said: "We already demonstrated an efficient microLED link in a live demo at ECOC 2025 in September. "By further optimizing our highly sensitive receivers, we have managed to further reduce the operating currents of the microLEDs and obtained [transmitter] energy consumption down further to tens of femtojoules for this part of the link. "Combined with the unique properties of microLEDs, we can achieve unmatched energy efficiency in our LightBundle interconnects. This benchmark shows the scalability of our roadmap, how microLED technology can replace legacy laser-based links with a simpler, more reliable and far lower power solution."
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Industries
Hardware
Industrial & Manufacturing
AI & Machine Learning
Aerospace
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$96.5M
Headquarters
Mountain View, California
Founded
2019
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today