Avicena demonstrated a fully operational microLED-based optical link at ECOC 2025 in Copenhagen, achieving an industry milestone of 200 femtojoules per bit (fJ/bit) at <1E-12 raw bit error rate without forward error correction. The live demonstration underscores the efficiency of Avicena’s LightBundle chiplet platform for scale-up GPU clusters and next-generation memory interconnects in AI and HPC data centers.
The prototype system used a microLED running at 0.25 mA drive current and 4 Gb/s, paired with a hybrid-bonded camera sensor and discrete TIA. By leveraging the absence of threshold current in LEDs, Avicena demonstrated energy-efficient operation at dramatically reduced drive currents. The LightBundle approach bypasses high-speed serialization by transmitting raw parallel data directly, simplifying architectures and enabling massive microLED arrays with low latency, low power, and high aggregate bandwidth.
Avicena positions LightBundle as a platform spanning co-packaged optics (CPO), on-board optics (OBO), pluggable modules, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) interfaces. The company highlighted the technology’s ability to address GPU-to-GPU and HBM-to-processor connectivity, targeting scale-up clusters of thousands of GPUs.
• Live demo: 200 fJ/bit microLED optical link at <1E-12 BER
• LightBundle chiplet platform for CPO, OBO, pluggables, and memory interconnects
• Direct parallel transmission avoids high-speed serialization
• Hybrid-bonded receiver based on high-volume camera process
• Energy-efficient solution for GPU clusters and HBM interfaces
“By leveraging a highly sensitive receiver, a minor modification to a high-volume camera process, and the unique properties of microLEDs, we can achieve unmatched energy efficiency in our LightBundle interconnects,” said Bardia Pezeshki, CTO of Avicena.
🌐 Analysis: Avicena’s demonstration highlights microLEDs as a disruptive alternative to laser-based optical interconnects, offering ultra-low power and low-latency parallel transmission. While still at early stages compared to established laser-driven VCSEL and silicon photonics solutions, microLED approaches could be particularly compelling for HBM memory interfaces, where wide, parallel buses are critical. As co-packaged optics and memory-to-processor interconnects evolve, Avicena’s work signals growing interest in diversifying beyond traditional laser-based platforms.
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