Astera Labs to Acquire aiXscale Photonics

Astera Labs Inc., a active player in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire aiXscale Photonics GmbH.The acquisition is expected to help enable Astera Labs to develop photonic scale-up solutions by combining aiXscale’s fiber-chip coupling technologies with Astera Labs’ connectivity and signal processing portfolio. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

The evolution to AI Infrastructure 2.0 demands scale-up connectivity solutions that meet aggressive speed, power, and reliability requirements while facilitating high volume, rack-scale integration. As the AI industry prepares for the next wave of infrastructure requirements, optical connectivity is critical to supporting the massive bandwidth needs of scale-up systems with hundreds of AI accelerators. Photonic chiplets represent one of the key enabling technologies to deliver the performance and efficiency required for advanced AI infrastructure.

“The transition to AI Infrastructure 2.0 demands purpose-built optical solutions that can handle the complexity and capacity needs of future scale-up networks,” said Sanjay Gajendra, COO and president, Astera Labs. “This acquisition will bring critical talent and advanced photonic technology that, when combined with our fabric switch and signal conditioning expertise, will unleash the of rack-scale AI deployments.”

“Our optical I/O precision glass coupler technology has been developed specifically to solve the key challenge of efficiently coupling light between photonic integrated circuits and optical fibers in high-density applications,” said Jeremy Witzens, CEO and co-founder, aiXscale Photonics.

“Joining Astera Labs will allow us to deploy and scale this technology as part of a comprehensive photonic solution that will help define the future of AI infrastructure connectivity,” said Florian Merget, co-founder, aiXscale Photonics.