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!
About this Role
In this role, you will develop the API that bridges photonic hardware and advanced interface systems, ensuring seamless communication between hardware and software. Your work will enable efficient processing of real-time and historical data, playing a key part in driving innovation within photonic AI and computing. By creating the foundation for dynamic data transfer, you will contribute to the future growth and breakthroughs in this cutting-edge technology.
Responsibilities
- API Design & Development: Architect, build, and maintain APIs to support the flow of live data and historical data (from a database) between backend services and the frontend Next.js application, focusing on dynamic data fetching.
- Hardware Monitoring & Management: Focus on developing APIs that represent hardware systems, providing essential capabilities for monitoring and management of those systems.
- Backend Service Development: Design and implement scalable backend services, ensuring efficient communication between microservices and the frontend.
- Security & Authentication: Implement robust security protocols such as OAuth and JWT to ensure secure access to APIs. Emphasize data encryption and secure API endpoints.
- Real-Time Data Processing: Develop solutions for handling real-time data, integrating technologies like WebSockets to enable low-latency data transmission between backend services and the frontend.
- Collaboration with Front-End Teams: Work closely with the frontend team to ensure seamless integration of backend APIs with the application, particularly in the areas of dynamic data fetching and processing.
- Testing & Documentation: Write automated tests to ensure the reliability and performance of APIs. Maintain clear and concise documentation for API usage to support the frontend and internal teams.
- Performance Optimization: Continuously monitor and optimize API performance to reduce response times and improve system scalability.
Qualifications
- BS and 12+ years of experience or MS and 8+ years of experience
- Proficiency in API development using systems/environments focused on API design and performance optimization (e.g., OpenAPI, RESTful services, API Gateway, microservices architecture).
- Strong understanding of API design principles and best practices for building scalable, secure, and high-performance services.
- Experience with security protocols (OAuth, JWT) and data encryption techniques.
- Expertise in real-time data handling, including WebSockets or similar technologies.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building backend services for web applications like Next.js.
We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.
Salary Range
$198,000—$256,000 USD
- 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
- Stock Option Plan
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.
Top Skills
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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