What Hyperlume does

Hyperlume, Inc. was an Ottawa-based semiconductor company founded in 2022 by Mohsen Asad and Hossein Fariborzi that developed microLED-based optical interconnect technology for chip-to-chip communication in AI data centers and high-performance computing systems. The company's core product leveraged ultra-fast microLEDs combined with ultra-low power circuitry to enable data transmission at 800Gbps and 1.6Tbps standards, with claimed tenfold performance gains and fivefold power savings compared to traditional copper interconnects. The technology was positioned to address bandwidth and energy bottlenecks in GPU clusters and HPC fabrics, a use case aligned with the rapid build-out of AI infrastructure.

The company operated as a single-product, pre-revenue startup through early 2025, with 11–50 employees and no publicly disclosed revenue or named customers. In February 2025, Hyperlume closed a $12.5 million CAD seed round co-led by BDC Deep Tech Venture Fund and ArcTern Ventures, with strategic participation from Intel Capital and additional backing from MUUS Climate Partners, SOSV, and LG Technology Ventures. Use of proceeds was directed at expanding product development, engineering, and R&D teams and preparing for volume production at 800Gbps and 1.6Tbps data rates.

In September 2025, Credo Technology Group acquired Hyperlume for approximately $92 million USD in cash. Credo stated it would maintain Hyperlume's Ottawa operations and continue hiring technical staff, integrating the microLED IP into its ZeroFlap MicroLED product line within its broader AI infrastructure connectivity portfolio. As of the acquisition, Hyperlume no longer operates as an independent company.

Name

Hyperlume

Legal name

Hyperlume, Inc.

Website

https://hyperlume.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hyperlume is an Ottawa-based semiconductor startup that developed microLED-based optical interconnect technology for chip-to-chip communication in AI data centers and high-performance computing, targeting 800Gbps–1.6Tbps data rates with claimed 10x performance and 5x power-efficiency gains over copper.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Interconnects / Semiconductor Components

NAICS

Electronic Connector Manufacturing (334417)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Electronic Connectors (3678)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Interconnects & Data Center Interconnect (DCI) (HDABAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Active Optical Cables (AOC) & Optical Interconnects (HDAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Optical interconnects
• MicroLED technology
• Chip-to-chip communication
• AI data center connectivity
• High-performance computing interconnect

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain

Core offering

Hyperlume developed and sold microLED-based optical interconnect technology for chip-to-chip communication in AI data centers and high-performance computing platforms. The technology pairs ultra-fast microLEDs with ultra-low power circuitry to enable 800Gbps and 1.6Tbps data transmission, offering 10x performance gains and 5x power savings over traditional copper interconnects.

Product overview

Hyperlume was a single-product technology company focused exclusively on microLED-based optical interconnect technology for AI data centers. Founded in 2022 in Ottawa, Canada, the company developed one core offering—its proprietary microLED optical interconnects—which addressed bandwidth bottlenecks in high-performance computing by enabling ultra-fast chip-to-chip communication at 800Gbps and 1.6Tbps standards. The technology leveraged ultra-fast microLEDs combined with ultra-low power circuitry to deliver tenfold performance improvements and quintuple power savings compared to traditional copper interconnects. In September 2025, Hyperlume was acquired by Credo Technology Group for approximately $92 million USD, integrating its technology into Credo's broader AI infrastructure connectivity portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MicroLED-based Optical Interconnect Technology

Quantifiable outcome

• Tenfold performance gains over traditional copper solutions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Credo Technology Group: Parent company and acquirer of Hyperlume. Credo supplies optical DSPs, AECs, retimers, and now ZeroFlap MicroLED interconnects for AI data centers, making it the most directly comparable competitor and platform for Hyperlume's technology.
• Ayar Labs: Directly comparable chip-to-chip optical I/O startup targeting AI accelerators and HPC. Competes head-to-head with Hyperlume in the optical interconnect-for-AI category with a similar thesis of replacing electrical chip-to-chip links with optical.
• Lightmatter: Photonics-computing company developing optical interconnects and photonic processors for AI and HPC. Closely aligned product category (AI optical connectivity) with overlapping customer set among hyperscalers and AI chip vendors.
• Celestial AI: Develops the Photonic Fabric optical interconnect platform for AI memory and compute fabrics. Direct competitor in the chip-to-chip and memory-to-compute optical interconnect space for AI data centers.
• POET Technologies: Develops integrated optical interconnects and photonic integrated circuits (POET One) for data center and AI applications. Competes in the optical interconnect-for-AI category with a different (III-V on silicon) technology approach.
• DustPhotonics: Silicon photonics PIC company acquired by Credo in 2026 (after Hyperlume). Closely comparable optical interconnect peer now part of the same parent, competing with Hyperlume's microLED approach inside Credo's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Broadcom: Major incumbent supplying optical components, DSPs, and switch silicon for AI clusters. Competes broadly in the optical interconnect supply chain that Hyperlume targets, with established relationships at all hyperscalers.
• Marvell Technology: Through the Inphi acquisition, Marvell is a leading supplier of optical DSPs and PAM4 DSPs for cloud and AI data centers. Broad incumbent competing in the same optical interconnect supply chain.
• Intel: Invested in Hyperlume via Intel Capital and competes via its own silicon photonics / integrated photonics programs for data center interconnects. Represents both an investor and a competing technology platform.
• Lumentum: Major supplier of lasers, optical components, and photonic devices used across data center interconnect products. Provides enabling optical components that compete with and complement chip-to-chip interconnect solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hyperlume