Akhetonics raises capital for its All-Optical processor prototype

Traditional processors from the likes of Intel, AMD, or Nvidia have well-known limitations around speed, energy efficiency, and electromagnetic interference. For instance, foundational chip makers like TSMC and Samsung are currently racing to move to the 3 nm process for customers like Apple and Nvidia.

In the meantime, photonics is becoming a bigger sector as chip makers look for faster solutions. Unlike electrons, light wavelengths do not interact meaning you can create parallel data streams inside a chip. The global photonics market size was valued at $630 billion in 2021 and is estimated to reach an expected value of USD 1.100 trillion by 2030, for instance.

All-optical processors startup Akhetonics, thinks it has the answers.

It’s now raised €2.3 million in early stage funding led by deeptech investors Runa Capital. Other investors include Interface Capital, Rheingau Founders, Thomas Pirschke (Co-Founder of Trade Republic), and Marie Tai (Principal at Possible Ventures).

Akhetonics claims to have multiple prototypes of the optical transistor and the foundation of a processor’s design.

Its competitors include Lightmatter, LighIntelligence, Optalysys. The Berlin-based startup says its all-optical processors will have a higher bandwidth and faster speeds with greater efficiency and information density than over electronic ones.

Its aiming at a full-scale optical CPU, with a full prototype by 2024.

“Our mission at Akhetonics is to create a completely new computing technology – the world’s first all-optical general-purpose CPU. We are driven by the ambition to push the boundaries of what is possible in computing,” said Michael Kissner, CEO of Akhetonics in a statement. “The funds raised will play a pivotal role in bringing our vision to life, accelerating our research and development efforts, and enabling us to integrate our groundbreaking technology into our first product.”

Dmitry Galperin, a Berlin-based General Partner at Runa Capital added: “We see tremendous opportunities in Akhetonics’ innovative approach to all-optical processing. Their technology has the potential to revolutionize multiple sectors, from high-performance networking and security hardware to quantum computing.”