Transistor-based computing now struggles to meet growing demand for speed. Historically, Moore’s law suggested that the number of transistors on a computer chip, and hence performance, would double every two years with a minimal increase in cost. But this is an increasingly unsustainable trend as silicon companies increase chip size and transistor quantity leads to higher energy consumption and costs, with devices consuming up to 1 kW.
Lumai's optical computing technology overcomes these limitations by leveraging optical parallelism and ultra-fast optical clocks, Optical computing, integrated with optical interconnects, is set to become a cornerstone in data centres, addressing the limitations of traditional digital electronic computing.
Dr Xianxin Guo is a co-founder and Head of Research of Lumai, responsible for technology and product development. Through the Shott Scale Up Accelerator, he hopes to cultivate the comprehensive skills necessary to excel as a competent CTO. He plans to use the Accelerator’s personalised mentoring, to strengthen his leadership skills to help to focus on scaling the business sustainably.
As an early-stage university spinout, Lumai is at a pivotal point in transitioning their technology into a viable product and identifying the optimal product-market fit. Dr Guo says that “I am confident that the mentorship, coaching, and networking opportunities offered by this programme will be invaluable in supporting my personal growth and advancing our company's success.”
In the next 12 months, Lumia’s upcoming milestone is the launch of their Gen1 product, the world’s first and fastest optical AI accelerator, capable of computing at 100 trillion operations per second. This breakthrough will position them to establish key industry partnerships and achieve substantial customer traction. Their target market is AI computing in data centres where their optical computing technology can achieve 1000 times faster computing at 100 times higher energy efficiency than today's digital processors, leading to a faster, smarter, and more sustainable future.
Lumia are now based in the UK, and expects to enter into the US market within the next 12 months. This is because they have the biggest market demand as well as a large talent pool. They may also establish a presence in Asia, which could help on the supply and manufacturing side.
