Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
Lightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale AI computing clusters. If you're a collaborative engineer or scientist who has a passion for innovation, solving challenging technical problems and doing impactful work, consider joining the team at Lightmatter!
We are hiring a Electro-Optic Systems Architect. The selected candidate will partner with external facing teams at Lightmatter and internal engineering teams to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that Passage’s electrical-optical-electrical links are performant and meet customer requirements. You will engage with our cross-disciplinary engineering teams to model and analyze solutions. You may also test and measure prototypes to validate the models. This role requires a solid understanding of leading-edge CMOS, advanced silicon photonics, high-speed (40+ GHz) electro-optic interfaces, and 3D integration. The role also requires creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication skills. You are encouraged to represent the company at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.
Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly influence the success of the company and product. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.
Responsibilities- Be the architecture owner of the electro-optic performance of a Lightmatter’s Passage product.
- Electro-optic system modeling using Cadence photonics-analog simulators (Verilog-A, Spectre, Virtuoso), VPI Photonics, and Keysight ADS
- Design the end-to-end electrical-optical-electrical system-level link to meet the customer requirements.
- Co-design the analog and photonic devices with the engineering design teams based on the end-to-end simulation results.
- Validate the models by designing high-speed RF experiments, conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and analyzing existing data.
- Author, review, and validate architectural specifications.
- Collaborate with the product team to develop the technological and product roadmap in the context of the industry trends
- Identify possible pitfalls or difficulties, as well as mitigation strategies, around the execution of the proposed architecture.
- A Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or similar discipline with at least 8 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with at least 12 years of relevant experience.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in electronic-photonic-electronic systems simulation and hardware testing/measurement.
- Proficient in Cadence photonics-analog simulators (Virtuoso, Spectre, Verilog-A), Ansys HFSS, Keysight ADS.
- Highly proficient in coding simulations in Python or Matlab.
- Highly proficient in RF/mm-wave analog circuit design as well as modeling optical communication links.
- Ability to lead and collaborate in a cross-disciplinary team.
- Expert on corner analysis and Monte Carlo analysis.
- Demonstrated strong problem solving skills specifically pertaining to problems that do not have obvious solutions.
- Experience in product development or projects with industry.
- Silicon photonic integrated circuit design and test experience.
- Knowledge of signal processing and signal integrity in optical communications.
- Knowledge of SERDES and mixed signal interfaces.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Willingness and ability to learn quickly. Self-starter with a “no task is too big or small” attitude.
- Data-driven and analytical; translates numbers into actionable strategies.
- Process-oriented and programmatic: builds structure through processes that can be relied upon across the organization.
We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
Skills Required
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or a similar discipline with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience
- At least 3 years of experience in electronic-photonic-electronic systems simulation
- At least 2 years of experience testing and measuring photonic high-speed optical modulators and receivers
- Proficiency with Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, and Verilog-A
- Proficiency with Ansys HFSS and Keysight ADS
- Advanced coding simulation experience in Python or MATLAB
- Advanced RF/mm-wave analog circuit design experience
- Advanced optical communication link modeling experience
- Experience with corner analysis and Monte Carlo analysis
- Experience collaborating with photonics and electronics teams
- Experience in product development or industry projects
- Silicon photonic integrated circuit design and test experience
- Knowledge of signal processing and signal integrity in optical communications
- Knowledge of SERDES and mixed-signal interfaces
- Strong publication record
- Ability to comply with U.S. export control laws
Lightmatter Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Lightmatter and has not been reviewed or approved by Lightmatter.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for specialized photonics and AI‑hardware roles, with posted ranges and third‑party totals aligning to strong market levels. Compensation for niche roles is framed as consistent with top‑tier hardware/photonics expectations.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is described as comprehensive, covering medical, dental, and vision in current postings. Additional protections like life insurance and disability are also called out.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants for full‑time employees are commonly included alongside base pay. Some postings also mention performance‑based equity components.
Lightmatter Insights
What We Do
Lightmatter is a startup photonics company that has pioneered a new paradigm in processor chip architecture that uses photons instead of electrons. Now the leader in the photonic AI compute “space race,” this new class of high performance semiconductors is the foundation of Lightmatter’s mission to enable the growth of computing, reduce harmful emissions associated with this growth, and democratize computing for all. Lightmatter's technology accelerates critical operations in deep neural networks, using an array of programmable photonic elements fabricated alongside transistors in conventional computer chip fabrication processes. Our close-knit team of engineers has created an integrated photonics chip and ultra-high performance interconnect that is faster, more efficient, and cooler than anything else on earth (or anything ever experienced before) to power the next giant leaps in human progress.
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