In Lightmatter co-founder Nick Harris, Ph.D, tells us how he’s spending the $800MM entrusted to him by investors. We explore how photonics is reshaping datacenter communications today. The physics of why light beats electricity for data transport, and how Lightmatter’s Passage interconnects and Guide lasers deliver. 

 

0:11 – Welcome & introduction to Nick Harris and Lightmatter 

0:49 – Lightmatter’s mission: a new Moore’s Law with light 

2:46 – Nick’s origin story: from Micron to MIT to founding Lightmatter 

10:35 – Why light beats electricity for moving data 

16:12 – The chip “shoreline problem” and inventing Passage 

25:00 – The photonic interposer: Lightmatter’s flagship breakthrough 

38:19 – What sets Lightmatter apart 

42:45 – Back to the original vision: the future of optical computing 

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