Avicena, a developer of microLED-based optical interconnects, has launched the LightBundle eKit, the first evaluation platform designed to test microLED optical connectivity for AI infrastructure systems. The kit integrates ASIC-based transceivers with embedded microLEDs, photodetectors, and micro-lens arrays connected via a multi-core fiber bundle, providing engineers with a practical platform to assess next-generation optical links.
The LightBundle eKit is aimed at applications in hyperscale computing, AI accelerators, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and networking systems, where interconnect bandwidth and energy efficiency are critical. As AI clusters expand to tens of thousands of accelerators (XPUs), copper interconnects face inherent limits in reach, routing, and power consumption. MicroLED optical interconnects offer a potential alternative, delivering higher bandwidth density, longer reach, and lower energy per bit, while eliminating the need for lasers and maintaining reliability at elevated operating temperatures.
The evaluation kit supports both scale-in connections, such as die-to-die and die-to-memory, and scale-up connections between XPUs and switch fabrics. It features 320 microLED data channels operating at up to 3.5 gigabits per second, with 256 active channels and 64 spare channels for redundancy. The platform is designed to deliver total link throughput of up to 896 gigabits per second and provides a raw bit error rate of better than 10⁻⁹ at 512 gigabits per second without forward error correction. Connectivity is available over both five-meter and ten-meter optical fibers.
LightBundle eKit incorporates host interface boards, reference drivers, integrated diagnostics, and a graphical user interface software platform. This setup allows engineers to evaluate optical signal integrity, link budgets, eye diagram monitoring, power efficiency, crosstalk performance, and bit error rates, providing a comprehensive testing environment for microLED optical technology in AI applications.
“MicroLED optical technology addresses bandwidth, energy, and reliability challenges in large-scale AI systems,” said Marco Chisari, CEO of Avicena. “LightBundle eKit provides a platform to evaluate optical interconnect performance in laboratory settings, giving system architects the tools to measure link budgets, bit error rates, and power efficiency in their own labs.”
Ian Cutress, Chief Analyst and CEO of More Than Moore, noted that as AI systems scale, copper interconnects are reaching physical limits in bandwidth, reach, and power efficiency. He added that microLED-based optical interconnects provide an alternative for assessing energy efficiency, bandwidth density, and reliability, and that the availability of an evaluation kit enables engineers to benchmark this technology against other optical alternatives when designing future system architectures.
The LightBundle eKit will be available to select early-access partners from March 2026, with broader availability expected in the second quarter. Avicena plans to demonstrate the platform at OFC booth #324, initially supporting 512 gigabit-per-second links, with support for up to 896 gigabit-per-second throughput planned later in the year. The kit provides AI infrastructure engineers with a tool to evaluate microLED optical interconnects, enabling measurement and benchmarking of performance parameters critical for high-bandwidth, energy-efficient connections in next-generation AI systems.
