News: Optoelectronics
23 October 2024
Celestial AI acquires silicon photonics patent portfolio from Rockley
Celestial AI of Santa Clara, CA, USA, the creator of the Photonic Fabric, has acquired silicon photonics intellectual property from Rockley Photonics Ltd (including worldwide issued and pending patents).
Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric optical interconnect technology platform provides foundational technology for optically scalable, disaggregated data-center compute and memory to unleash advances in AI with sustainable and profitable business models.
The combination of Celestial AI and Rockley IP in the field of silicon photonics for optical compute interconnect brings the total IP portfolio to more than 200 patents globally. The acquired patent portfolio consists of three main technology categories, including optoelectronic systems-in-package, electro-absorption modulators (EAMs) and optical switch technology, relevant for multiple AI data-center infrastructure applications.
Rockley was an early pioneer in silicon photonics with foundational IP that dates back to 2014, predating the foundation of many market competitors. In 2022, the firm exited the datacoms market to focus on photonics-based health-monitoring devices.
The acquired IP directly aligns with Celestial AI’s core technology roadmap and enhances the deployment and commercialization strategy of its Photonic Fabric technology platform. This IP complements Celestial AI’s existing portfolio. The firm is focused on delivering solutions to hyperscale data-center customers, both directly and through their ecosystem partners, that enable transformational performance, scalability and energy-efficiency advantages at the forefront of next-generation AI compute and network connectivity.
“The addition of Rockley’s IP into our technology platform further accelerates the growth of Celestial AI’s highly valuable intellectual property portfolio and amplifies the strength of our position,” says Celestial AI’s founder & CEO Dave Lazovsky. “These patents fit well into our expanding Photonic Fabric patent portfolio spanning advanced packaging, thermally stable silicon photonics, and system architectures for optical compute interconnect,” he adds. “This acquisition reflects Celestial AI’s commitment to protecting Photonic Fabric-based solutions that are being implemented in our customers’ AI data-center infrastructure.”
