DustPhotonics
DustPhotonics is a fabless Israeli silicon photonics company that developed the Carmel series of optical transceivers (400G to 1.6T, with a 3.2T roadmap) and the first merchant 1.6 TB/s DR8 photonic engine, sold directly to hyperscale AI data center operators. Acquired by Credo Technology Group in May 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersModi'in, Israel
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What DustPhotonics does
DustPhotonics was a fabless Israeli semiconductor company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Modi'in that developed silicon photonics photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology for high-speed optical connectivity in data center and AI infrastructure applications. The company's core product platform was the Carmel series of optical transceivers — including Carmel-4 and Carmel-8 — supporting 400G, 800G, and 1.6T data rates, with a publicly stated roadmap to 3.2T. In September 2024, DustPhotonics unveiled what it described as the first merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6 TB/s DR8 applications targeting AI and hyperscale data centers, and the company also developed immersion cooling solutions for thermal management of high-power AI hardware. The underlying value proposition was that silicon photonics enables higher bandwidth at approximately half the power consumption of copper interconnects, which become physically constrained at 800G and beyond.
DustPhotonics sold its optical transceivers and silicon photonics components through a direct B2B enterprise sales motion to hyperscale AI data center operators and cloud infrastructure providers, with quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed price points. The company was venture-backed, raising approximately $85M cumulatively across rounds in 2019, 2021, and a $24M Series B in February 2024, with Greenfield Partners, Intel Capital, and Celesta Capital among the principal investors. In October 2021, the company executed a corporate reorganization — reducing headcount by over a third, replacing CEO Ben Rubovitch with Ronnen Lovinger, and pivoting decisively toward silicon photonics — and subsequently scaled the Carmel product family and developed the 1.6 TB/s engine. In April 2026, Credo Technology Group announced the acquisition of DustPhotonics for up to $1.3 billion ($750M cash plus approximately $123M in shares and up to $430M in contingent earnout), closing on May 28, 2026, making DustPhotonics a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credo and folding its silicon photonics assets into Credo's vertically integrated AI connectivity platform.
DustPhotonics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DustPhotonics
- Legal name
- DustPhotonics Ltd.
- Website
- https://dustphotonics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- DustPhotonics is a fabless Israeli silicon photonics company that developed the Carmel series of optical transceivers (400G to 1.6T, with a 3.2T roadmap) and the first merchant 1.6 TB/s DR8 photonic engine, sold directly to hyperscale AI data center operators. Acquired by Credo Technology Group in May 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DustPhotonics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Transceivers / Silicon Photonics
- NAICS
- Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)
- SIC
- Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes) (HDAHABAB), Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH)
Keywords
Where DustPhotonics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Modi'in
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
DustPhotonics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Optical Transceivers and Silicon Photonics Products: Sale of silicon photonics-based optical transceivers and photonic integrated circuits for data center and AI applications. Products include Carmel series transceivers supporting speeds from 400G to 1.6T.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
DustPhotonics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DustPhotonics developed and manufactured silicon photonics-based pluggable optical transceivers and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) under its Carmel product family for data center, enterprise, and high-performance computing applications. The portfolio covered 400G, 800G, 1.6T, and a 3.2T roadmap, including the first merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6 TB/s DR8 applications targeting AI and hyperscale data centers. The company also offered immersion cooling solutions for thermal management of high-power AI hardware.
Product overview
DustPhotonics was a fabless Israeli semiconductor company specializing in silicon photonics photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology for optical connectivity solutions. The company developed the Carmel series optical transceivers (Carmel-4 and Carmel-8) supporting 400G, 800G, and 1.6T data rates, with a roadmap to 3.2T applications. In September 2024, DustPhotonics unveiled the first merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6 TB/s DR8 applications targeting AI and hyperscale data centers. The company also developed immersion cooling solutions for thermal management in high-power AI hardware. DustPhotonics was acquired by Credo Technology Group in April 2026 for approximately $750 million in cash plus stock.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carmel-4: Silicon photonics product for data center and AI applications
- Carmel-8
- Carmel-8 chip
Products and services
- Carmel-4 Silicon photonics-based optical transceiver product designed for 400G data center and AI applications, part of DustPhotonics' Carmel series for scaling production. Targeted at hyperscale and enterprise data centers.
- Carmel-8 Silicon photonics-based optical transceiver product designed for high-speed data center and AI applications, supporting higher data rates as part of the Carmel series product line. Aimed at hyperscale AI cluster operators.
- 1.6 TB/s Silicon Photonics Engine (DR8) First merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6 TB/s DR8 applications targeting AI and hyperscale data centers, unveiled in September 2024. Aimed at hyperscale AI data center operators.
- Carmel-8 Chip Silicon photonics photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology supporting 800G and 1.6T optical transceiver applications for AI infrastructure. Targeted at hyperscale AI data center operators.
- Immersion Cooling Solutions Thermal management solutions for high-power AI hardware applications, complementing DustPhotonics' optical connectivity portfolio. Targeted at high-power AI infrastructure deployments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports data transfer speeds up to 1.6Tb/s for AI and data center applications
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use DustPhotonics
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DustPhotonics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
DustPhotonics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Credo Technology GroupflagshipAcquisition completed May 28, 2026. Credo acquired DustPhotonics for $750M cash plus ~0.92M shares with up to 3.21M contingent shares tied to milestones. Positions Credo as vertically integrated AI connectivity platform spanning copper and optical interconnects. DustPhotonics CEO Ronnen Lovinger and co-founder/CTO Yoel Chetrit joined Credo upon closing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights10 records
DustPhotonics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Inphi (now Marvell): Inphi was a leading supplier of high-speed optical DSPs and transceivers for cloud and AI data centers before its Marvell acquisition. Its technology and customer footprint directly overlapped DustPhotonics' target market.
- Lumentum: Lumentum is a major merchant supplier of optical components and modules for data center and telecom applications. It competes in the same hyperscaler optical interconnect market as DustPhotonics.
- Broadcom: Broadcom is a leading supplier of high-speed optical components and switch ASICs for hyperscale data centers. Its broad portfolio and incumbent design wins make it a direct competitor in 800G/1.6T optical connectivity for AI clusters.
- NeoPhotonics (acquired by Lumentum): NeoPhotonics specialized in high-speed indium phosphide and silicon photonics-based transceivers for data centers and telecom, before being acquired by Lumentum. Its products and customer base closely overlap DustPhotonics'.
- Marvell Technology: Marvell provides data center networking silicon and is expanding into optical DSPs and interconnect technology. Its DSP and interconnect portfolio overlaps with DustPhotonics' target market at hyperscalers.
- Coherent (formerly II-VI / Finisar): Coherent is one of the largest merchant suppliers of optical transceivers and components, including VCSEL, InP, and silicon photonics-based products. It competes across the same hyperscaler optical interconnect market as DustPhotonics.
- Intel (Silicon Photonics / Optical Components): Intel has an integrated silicon photonics program and was an investor in DustPhotonics. It competes broadly in optical interconnects and data center connectivity, with the scale and customer relationships of a major silicon vendor.
Emerging players
- Aeva: Aeva develops silicon photonics-based sensing and interconnect technology. While its primary market is FMCW LiDAR on-chip, its silicon photonics platform overlaps with DustPhotonics' photonic integration capabilities.
- PsiQuantum: PsiQuantum builds silicon photonics-based platforms for quantum computing. While its end application differs, its underlying photonic integrated circuit manufacturing capability is technologically adjacent to DustPhotonics' PIC platform.
Direct peers
- Credo Technology Group: Credo acquired DustPhotonics and is the closest strategic peer in high-speed connectivity for AI data centers. Credo's SerDes and AECs and DustPhotonics' silicon photonics PICs together form a vertically integrated optical/copper interconnect platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DustPhotonics social profiles
Digital presenceDustPhotonics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DustPhotonics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
DustPhotonics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DustPhotonics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DustPhotonics
What does DustPhotonics do?
DustPhotonics developed and manufactured silicon photonics-based pluggable optical transceivers and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) under its Carmel product family for data center, enterprise, and high-performance computing applications. The portfolio covered 400G, 800G, 1.6T, and a 3.2T roadmap, including the first merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6 TB/s DR8 applications targeting AI and hyperscale data centers. The company also offered immersion cooling solutions for thermal management of high-power AI hardware.
Is DustPhotonics a public or private company?
DustPhotonics is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was DustPhotonics founded?
DustPhotonics was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is DustPhotonics based?
DustPhotonics is headquartered in Modi'in, Israel, in the Middle East region.
How does DustPhotonics make money?
One revenue line is on record: optical Transceivers and Silicon Photonics Products.
Who are DustPhotonics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Inphi (now Marvell), Lumentum, Broadcom, NeoPhotonics (acquired by Lumentum), Marvell Technology, Coherent (formerly II-VI / Finisar) and Intel (Silicon Photonics / Optical Components). Emerging players are Aeva and PsiQuantum. Credo Technology Group is listed as a direct peer.
Does DustPhotonics have an API?
No public API is recorded for DustPhotonics.
What industry is DustPhotonics in?
DustPhotonics's product category is Optical Transceivers / Silicon Photonics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAM, Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules), with a secondary code of HDAHABAB, Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes). Its NAICS code is 334413 and its SIC code is 3674.