Lumotive, a programmable optical semiconductor company, announced a breakthrough with the successful demonstration of what it describes as the world’s first programmable two-dimensional photonic beamforming semiconductor. The chip is based on the company’s Light Control Metasurface technology and represents a major step toward software-defined control of light within a single semiconductor platform.
The innovation enables electronic control of light across two dimensions without mechanical movement, a capability that has long been pursued in optical science. By bringing programmability to photonics, the technology opens new possibilities for optical circuit switching, communications, optical computing, and advanced sensing applications such as robotics.
As artificial intelligence infrastructure continues to expand, data centers are facing increasing challenges related to bandwidth and energy efficiency. Optical circuit switching is emerging as a promising solution, allowing direct optical connections between endpoints and improving overall network performance. Lumotive’s approach provides a path toward scalable, high-port count switching architectures required for next-generation AI systems.
The chip uses nanoscale optical elements integrated into a semiconductor platform to dynamically form and steer light beams across two axes in real time. This eliminates the need for traditional optical components such as mirrors, lenses, and beam splitters, allowing a single device to perform multiple optical functions. The result is a new class of flat, reconfigurable optics that can be programmed similarly to software.
The company’s use of CMOS-compatible materials and manufacturing processes also suggests a viable path toward large-scale production, positioning the technology for broader adoption in communications, sensing, and AI infrastructure.
Lumotive says the breakthrough establishes the foundation for a new category of programmable photonic semiconductors designed to support future optical networking and computing systems.
KEY QUOTES:
“This is a defining moment for programmable photonics. For decades, optical systems relied on static components or mechanical motion to control light. Demonstrating two dimensional beamforming in a semiconductor platform brings the flexibility of software to photonics and unlocks entirely new system architectures.”
Dr. Sam Heidari, CEO of Lumotive
“As AI infrastructure continues to scale, the networking architectures that support these systems will need to evolve as well. Optical circuit switching is increasingly being explored as a way to enable more scalable and energy efficient connectivity.”
Jim Anderson, CEO of Coherent
“Two dimensional beamforming has been one of the most challenging problems in photonics for decades. What we have demonstrated is a new paradigm where the behavior of light can be programmed directly at the semiconductor level.”
Dr. Gleb Akselrod, Founder and CTO of Lumotive
“Active metasurfaces have been an area of intense research for many years. Demonstrating two dimensional beamforming in a semiconductor metasurface platform is an important milestone for the field. The use of CMOS compatible materials and fabrication approaches is particularly exciting because it creates a credible path toward scalable and manufacturable optical systems.”
Dr. David R. Smith, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor at Duke University
