Singapore-based Staera Semiconductor, a chip startup developing optical data links built directly into silicon chips, has come out of stealth with US$4.6 million in pre-seed funding.

Openspace Capital led the round, with SGInnovate and Black Kite Capital also investing.

Staera said its Lightwire product is designed to replace copper connections with optical links inside an interposer linking processors and memory.

The funding will support technology development and the expansion of its US team ahead of planned commercialization in 2030.

Other companies are also developing optical connectivity for AI compute systems, integrating photonics into optical interposers, and placing optics close to switch chips. However, their approaches differ from Staera’s.

Co-packaged optics still faces technical hurdles. Industry analysis has highlighted challenges involving manufacturing yield, reliability, and serviceability.

Technical reviews have also pointed to packaging complexity, thermal management, and the difficulty of achieving high manufacturing yields at an acceptable cost.

🔗 Source: Semiconductor Today