SAN FRANCISCO, March 31 (Reuters) - Lightmatter, a

startup valued at $4.4 billion, on Monday released two pieces of

technology aimed at speeding up the connections between

artificial intelligence chips.

Instead of moving information between computer chips as

electrical signals, Lightmatter's technology uses optical

connections and what are known as silicon photonics to move the

information using light.

Mountain View, California-based Lightmatter has raised $850

million in venture funding to date as such optical technologies

have kicked off a wave of investments in Silicon Valley amid a

search for better ways to string together chips to power

chatbots, image generators and other AI applications.

AI chip firms like Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) have

demonstrated the use of optical technologies packaged together

with their chips. Nvidia ( NVDA ) earlier this month introduced

optical technology in some of its networking chips, though its

CEO said the technology is not yet mature enough to use in all

of its chips.

Lightmatter on Monday introduced two new products that are

designed to be packaged together with AI chips. One is called an

interposer, a layer of material that the AI chip sits atop to

connect to neighboring chips that also sit atop the interposer.

The other is a small tile called a "chiplet" that can be placed

on top of an AI chip.

Lightmatter said its interposer will be released in 2025 and

the chiplet in 2026. The interposer is manufactured by

GlobalFoundries ( GFS ).