Optical I/O: Celestial AI Acquires Rockley Photonics Portfolio

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – October 23, 2024 – Photonic fabric company Celestial AI today announced the acquisition of silicon photonics intellectual property from Rockley Photonics (Rockley), including worldwide issued and pending patents.

Celestial said the combination results in one of the strongest IP portfolios in the field of silicon photonics for optical compute interconnect, bringing their total IP portfolio to more than 200 patents globally. The acquired patent portfolio is comprised 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. The acquired IP directly aligns with Celestial AI’s core technology roadmap and enhances the deployment and commercialization strategy of the company’s Photonic Fabric technology platform. This intellectual property complements Celestial AI’s existing portfolio, which has rapidly evolved into the industry-leading technology platform for optical interconnectivity. The company 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. 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,” said Dave Lazovsky, Founder and CEO of Celestial AI. “This acquisition reflects Celestial AI’s commitment to protecting Photonic Fabric-based solutions that are being implemented in our customers’ AI data center infrastructure.”