Cerebras Systems, a generative AI accelerator, has been awarded a contract from DARPA for the development of a high-performance computing system. The Cerebras system will combine the power of Cerebras’ wafer scale technology and its partner Ranovus’ wafer scale co-packaged optics to deliver compute at a fraction of the power consumed by GPUs connected by traditional switches.
Cerebras Systems CEO Andrew Feldman (left) and Ranovus CEO Hamid Arabzadeh. Courtesy of Cerebras System.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Multi-terabit optical interconnect solutions company Ranovus has entered into a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Jabil for the production of Ranovus’ ODIN optical engine. Featuring monolithic integration of silicon photonics, radio frequency drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, and control logic, ODIN supports high-speed data transmission for AI and machine learning workloads.
SHEFFIELD, England — Phlux Technology, an infrared sensor technology developer, has landed a £9 million ($11.8 million) series A funding round. According to the company, the funding will accelerate Phlux’s expansion into optical communications and sensing industries by leveraging its antimonide-based semiconductor technology.
LINKÖPING, Sweden — Micro-LED manufacturer Polar Light Technologies has successfully closed a fully subscribed funding round of SEK 34 million ($3.5 million). With the capital, the company will enter into a commercialization phase, aiming to bring its micro-LED technology to market in 2026 along with a larger planned financing round to support full-scale market entry.
KISTA, Sweden — Sivers Semiconductors AB has entered into strategic partnership with O-Net Technologies, an optical networking company, to produce high-performance external laser sources for AI data center architectures. Under the agreement, O-Net will serve as an OEM partner for Sivers, integrating Sivers' distributed feedback laser arrays into their range of external laser small form factor optical modules.
TORONTO — Optical engines and light sources developer POET Technologies has partnered with optical solutions provider Lessengers to offer a differentiated 800G DR8 transceiver that will include POET's transmit and receive optical engines and Lessenger's direct optical wiring technology. Lessengers expects to have transceiver samples ready for its customers to review in the second half of this year.
A lithography tool from Heidelberg Instruments installed by NORDTECH at the CNSE. Courtesy of Brian Busher.
ALBANY, N.Y. — The Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH) has installed six new tools for microchip engineering, measurement, and testing at the University of Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE). Supported by CHIPS Act funding worth $7.4 million, the tools will assist CNSE researchers, students, and NORDTECH’s research partners in multiple aspects of microchip design and prototyping, including lithography, vapor deposition, reactive ion etching, and rapid thermal annealing, among others.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — OpenLight, a custom photonic applications-specific integrated circuit (PASIC) chip designer, has entered into an ecosystem partnership with Suzhou TFC Optical Communication Co., Ltd. (TFC), a provider of optical sub-assembly integrated solutions, to streamline the back-end procedure of wafer processing to fiber array unit subassembly for optical engines. As part of the partnership, OpenLight will support TFC's development of acquiring completed wafers and provide back-end processes, including wafer-level bumping, testing, grinding, and dicing to deliver known-good dies.
SAN FRANCISCO — Full-portfolio optical transceivers company Genuine Optics USA has relocated its headquarters to a larger facility in San Jose, Calif. The new facility will include space for additional field application engineering as well as administrative functions, and will accommodate its growing U.S.-based operations.
(From left) Defence Trailblazer CEO Sanjay Mazumdar, University of Adelaide pro vice-chancellor and professor Michael Goodsite, HB11 CEO Warren McKenzie, HB11 CTO Sergey Pikuz, and head of Dualtech USPL group professor Miftar Ganija. Courtesy of the University of Adelaide.
ADELAIDE, Australia — Australian defense initiative Defence Trailblazer, the University of Adelaide DualTech-USPL Group, and fusion energy technology company HB11 Energy have signed an AUD $8.2 million ($5.2 million) collaborative research project agreement to advance the development and commercialization of hydrogen-boron fusion technology. The project aims to create high-powered laser systems, leveraging the expertise of the DualTech-USPL Group, and establish the first Australian sovereign laser manufacturing capability. This initiative will address dual-use needs in the defense, clean energy, and health sectors.