Lumai develops optical processing hardware that performs core AI arithmetic operations inside optical beams travelling through 3D space, aiming to bypass the limits of silicon GPUs and integrated photonics. Its PCIe-form-factor design uses low-cost optical components to enable cost-effective, high-performance AI inference. Lumai says its architecture can deliver roughly 50× the performance of silicon-only accelerators while using about 10% of the power consumed by conventional data-center AI hardware. The company has overcome scalability challenges in optical computing and positions itself as an enabler for next-generation large-language-model inference. Lumai secured more than $10 million in investment to support the next stage of growth. It plans to use the funds to advance product development, double headcount, and expand its US presence. Company leadership and technical founders have received external recognition, including participation in the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott Accelerator and inclusion on the Photonics 100 list.

Total raised

$10M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2025