Oxford spinout Lumai secures £1.1m grant to power optical computing revolution

29th March 2023

Lumai, a spinout from the University of Oxford, has secured a £1.1m Innovate UK Smart Grant to develop all-optical neural networks for high-performance computing and machine vision. The grant will help Lumai develop its vision to build ONNs that could be the solution to the explosive increase in computational demand to support breakthrough AI models such as ChatGPT.

Lumai, a spinout from the University of Oxford, has secured a £1.1m Innovate UK Smart Grant to develop all-optical neural networks for high-performance computing and machine vision.

Lumai is developing the platform for next-generation artificial intelligence that could be 1000x faster than traditional approaches. The optical neural networks are capable of energy-efficient and ultra-fast, parallel processing without relying on transistor-based digital electronics.

The grant, awarded in conjunction with the University of Oxford, will help Lumai develop its vision to build ONNs and deliver on the potential of optical computing. The company’s optical computing processors could be the solution to the explosive increase in computational demand to support breakthrough AI models such as ChatGPT.

Tim Weil, CEO at Lumai, commented: “The Innovate UK Smart Grant win is a testament to the team’s vision and passion to create optical computers that are significantly faster and consume less energy than traditional electronics. After spinning out from The University of Oxford, it’s fitting that we work together on the Innovate UK project to further enhance the capabilities of these advanced optical systems. We’re excited to be bringing Lumai’s game changing technology to the world, and we look forward to making our mark on the UK market and beyond.”

 

Read more: Five minutes with Tim Weil

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