Optical computing system solution provider "Optical Standard" completed two rounds of financing in half a year, backed by state-owned assets from two regions | Exclusive by 36Kr
Author: Qiu Xiaofen
Against the backdrop of the soaring demand for AI computing power, domestic GPU manufacturers have recently submitted IPO prospectuses. In tandem with the wave of GPU listings, a new AI computing paradigm based on light has also caught the eye of investment institutions.
36 Kr learned that "Light Standard Technology", a company specializing in optical computing chips integrating storage and computing, completed a financing round led by Jinqiu Fund in December 2024. Existing shareholders Mushi Capital, Xiaomiao Langcheng, and Zhongying Venture Capital all participated in additional investments, exceeding their previous commitments.
Just six months later, in June this year, "Light Standard" announced another round of financing, led by Dunhong Asset Management. State-owned funds such as Pudong Science and Technology Angel Mother Fund, Suzhou Future Angel Industry Fund, and Zhangjiang Science and Technology Investment followed suit. Existing shareholder Zhongying Venture Capital increased its investment again, and Mushi Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor for the financing.
Demonstration of Crossbar technology route
"Light Standard" was founded in 2022. Currently, there are two mainstream technical routes for optical computing chips, and "Light Standard" is the world's first commercial company to adopt the heterogeneous integration of silicon photonics and phase-change materials (PCM) to achieve the integration of storage and computing on optical chips.
It is reported that this technical path has the advantages of small unit size and low system energy consumption, making it more suitable for large-scale AI computing scenarios. The technical path adopted by "Light Standard" can integrate matrices of 128*128, 256*256, or even larger onto a single die, with an integration degree more than 10 times higher than other technical solutions. This enables optical computing to be better implemented in large model scenarios.
In terms of products, in June 2024, "Light Standard" was the first in the industry to complete the development of an optical computing chip product with computing power density and accuracy meeting commercial standards, with a matrix scale of 128*128, breaking the industry's three-year ceiling of 64*64 matrix scale.
"Light Standard" said that the company is currently conducting tape-out for the 256*256 optical computing chip and packaging and testing for the first-generation optoelectronic fusion computing card. The design of the 512*512 optical computing chip is underway. In the future, the computing power of the product system based on this chip may far exceed that of the world's top products based on electrical chips.
Optical computing chip with a matrix scale of 128*128
On the commercialization front, in December 2024, the company established a strategic cooperation with a leading domestic Internet company, and the two parties launched in-depth cooperation in AI computing hardware.
Regarding the team, the two post-95s founders of "Light Standard" graduated from the University of Oxford and the University of Chicago respectively. Cheng Tangsheng, who is in charge of R & D and engineering implementation, studied under Professor Harish Bhaskaran of the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Harish Bhaskaran is also the world's first professor to receive the fellowship for his research in the field of optical computing. Xiong Yinjiang, who is responsible for the company's operations and commercialization, has experience in the engineering and commercialization of large model algorithms and AI agents.
Xiong Yinjiang, the founder of "Light Standard", said that since its establishment, the company has been committed to providing new computing chips and system solutions for high-performance computing fields such as large models, scientific computing, and embodied intelligence. It has gradually explored the product requirements with core users in the target industries. In the future, it will provide large computing power and high energy efficiency products in different forms based on its self-developed photonic in-memory computing chips.
Investors' Comments
Zang Tianyu, a partner at Jinqiu Fund, said: "Photon computing, as a brand - new computing paradigm, is an important technical route to break through the traditional computing power bottleneck in the post - Moore era. It is of great value in continuously promoting the improvement of model performance and the reduction of inference costs. Light Standard was founded by young scientists from the Advanced Micro - and Nano - Engineering Laboratory of the University of Oxford. This laboratory pioneered an innovative technical route for photon computing using phase - change materials and is one of the most influential teams in the global optical computing field. The Light Standard team has achieved surprising phased results in promoting industrialization based on the laboratory's years of technical accumulation. Their pragmatic and efficient work style is also impressive. As an innovative investment institution focusing on the AI field, Jinqiu will continue to support the innovation of underlying technologies with long - term value and their industrial development."
Yu Wenchao, a partner at Dunhong Asset Management, said: "Compared with traditional silicon - based electrical chips, optical chips have significant advantages and are the next - generation AI computing chips. As AI large models and applications enter the stage of large - scale implementation, unprecedented requirements are placed on computing power efficiency, and optical computing has finally welcomed the real opportunity for industrial development. Leading industrial enterprises and model companies are actively introducing optical computing test solutions, initiating application verification, and seeking innovative solutions to break through the existing computing power bottleneck. After in - depth evaluation of various technical routes, Light Standard's unique 'PCM + Crossbar' route shows the strongest implementation potential and scalability. It can significantly improve AI inference speed and greatly reduce power consumption, directly addressing the current industry pain points. We are optimistic that Light Standard can achieve a 'leapfrog development' in high - performance computing power based on China's profound optical industry foundation and lead the transformation of the next - generation computing paradigm."
Men Qingbing, the general manager of Pudong Venture Capital Group, said: "Light Standard Technology focuses on the cutting - edge field of photonic computing, which is the key 'underlying support technology' for fields such as AI large models. It is in line with the directions of 'computing power infrastructure' and 'artificial intelligence infrastructure' strategically emphasized by the state, and has high strategic significance. Light Standard has the world's only team based on phase - change materials for optical computing chips, with high technical barriers and strong scarcity. It has formed a positive upstream - downstream linkage effect with Pudong's integrated circuit industry. Pudong Venture Capital will continue to provide all - round support for the company's growth in Pudong."
He Kun, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee and the vice - president of Suzhou Venture Capital Group, said: "AI computing applications such as the training and inference of large models drive the demand for the construction of intelligent computing centers and the upgrading of computing power products. As an underlying disruptive technology, optical computing is expected to reshape the competitive landscape of the computing power market. We saw the potential of the Light Standard team for rapid industrialization from their innovative technical solutions and efficient and pragmatic work style. Therefore, we invested in Light Standard as a strategic layout of the Suzhou Future Angel Industry Fund in the field of advanced computing."
Sun Weiqin, the general manager of Zhangjiang Science and Technology Investment, said: "Light Standard focuses on a new AI computing paradigm based on light. This is not only an important route to solve the computing power bottleneck in the post - Moore era but also an important track for 'leapfrog development'. We are optimistic about the young, highly - executive, and resilient team of Light Standard. On the long journey of 'chasing light', Zhangjiang will, as always, accompany the company's growth from multiple dimensions such as venture capital, space carriers, and industrial ecosystems."
Wu Zhongfu, the chairman of Zhongying Venture Capital, said: "The optical computing industry has witnessed rapid development in recent years, catalyzed by technological breakthroughs and the explosion of downstream applications. As a leading company in the optical computing field, the optical computing chips developed by Light Standard innovatively adopt the Crossbar architecture based on phase - change material modulation. Compared with traditional optical computing routes, it is more competitive in terms of packaging difficulty, power consumption, latency, and stability, and has been recognized and deeply cooperated with by large customers. Zhongying Venture Capital participated in the investment in Light Standard at an early stage and increased its investment several times. We continue to firmly believe in Light Standard's R & D ability and development prospects and believe that the company can redefine the pattern of the AI chip market in the future."