The Circuit
The Circuit
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg
Conversation with Ayar Labs CEO Mark Wade on Silicon Photonics, Co-Packaged Optics, and Next-Gen AI Infrastructure
50 minutes Posted Sep 21, 2026 at 4:27 pm.
Introduction and the Interconnect Bottleneck
The High-Level Pitch for IR Labs and Optical Connectivity
Why Building Optical Solutions is So Difficult
Why Now? The Catalyst of ChatGPT
The Complexities of Advanced Packaging and Manufacturing
Navigating the Future Landscape of Interconnects
Exploring Digital Twin Manufacturing Models
IR Labs' Core Bet on CMOS-Scale Foundries
Confidence in the TSMC Coupe Process
Customer Adoption Hurdles and Strategic Partnerships
Funding Strategy, Series E, and the Path to IPO
Interacting with Wall Street and Public Investors
Wrap-up and Future Market Size Estimates
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Show notes

In this episode of The Circuit, hosts Ben Bajarin n and Jay Goldberg speak with Mark Wade, CEO of IR Labs, and Jesse Leiter, VP of Capital Strategy and Investor Relations. The conversation focuses on the necessity of solving the interconnect bottleneck in large-scale AI data centers by transitioning to optical connectivity. Mark explains the immense complexity of integrating optical engines into advanced CMOS nodes and highlights how the release of ChatGPT accelerated the market's demand for these large-scale computing solutions. Additionally, the discussion explores IR Labs' strategic reliance on leading-edge foundries like TSMC, their ecosystem partnerships with tech giants like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, and their calculated funding strategy aimed at an eventual IPO in a market projected to reach $30 to $50 billion by 2030