The Hidden Enabler of Autonomous Warfare: Advanced PCB Technologies Behind Defense AI
It’s Only Common Sense: Stay Curious, My Friends
Aras, a leading provider of digital thread solutions for product lifecycle management (PLM) and engineering AI, announced that Lightium, a Switzerland-based startup specializing in photonic integrated circuits (PICs), has selected Aras Innovator® to establish a connected foundation for managing the complexity of its photonic chip development.
Operating in one of today’s most technically demanding domains, Lightium is addressing the growing challenge of data transfer in modern computing environments. Its photonic integrated circuits transmit data using light instead of electrical signals, delivering significant advantages in speed and energy efficiency for data centers. Aras Innovator provides the digital thread to connect data, processes, and disciplines across the organization.
“In modern AI data centers, the biggest bottleneck is no longer computing power, but the transmission of data,” said Amir H. Ghadimi, Co-Founder & CEO of Lightium. “This is exactly where we come in: with photonic integrated circuits, we can scale performance beyond today’s technologies while significantly reducing energy consumption.”
As technological ambition increases, so does the complexity of development processes. This drives the need for structured, end-to-end data and full traceability, both critical for scaling and managing yield in photonic production. “Unlike more established industries such as electronics or mechanical engineering, photonics has no established PLM standards, as development sits between software-driven approaches and traditional hardware and industrial processes—making flexibility essential. This is why Aras Innovator was such a great fit for our needs,” said Kevin Radican, Head of Data at Lightium.
Lightium selected Aras Innovator for its ability to support evolving requirements and bring structure to its development processes. The platform enables the company to integrate development data, simulations, and design processes on a robust foundation for managing part structures and projects. It also provides the flexibility to develop custom front-end applications tailored to photonics-specific workflows and day-to-day use. Lightium is implementing the platform while leveraging AI-driven approaches to further optimize development workflows.
“Lightium represents a new generation of high-tech innovators taking a fundamentally different approach to how photonic integrated circuits are developed,” said Matthias Fohrer, Vice President, EMEA, at Aras. “In a field where established frameworks are still evolving, success depends on a foundation that can adapt to their approach while supporting scale.”
Lightium was founded in September 2023 and builds on more than six years of prior research and development. The fast-growing startup offers foundry services for photonic chips based on 200 mm manufacturing processes, enabling scalable industrial production. Lightium reports that its technology reduces energy consumption by more than 30% compared to conventional solutions. Current systems support transmission rates of up to 800 Gbit/s, with the next generation targeting 1.6 Tbit/s. Lightium is working to enable speeds exceeding 6 Tbit/s in the coming years.
