Milton Park, has welcomed Salience Labs, a start-up which is pioneering photonic switches for AI data centres.
The company, which has raised over $54m (£41m), including backing from Oxford Science Enterprises, builds on decades of research from the universities of Oxford and Münster. Salience will use its bespoke 6,700 sq ft R&D facility to pioneer photonic switches that route and manage data traffic more quickly and cost-efficiently.
Traditional switches in data centres rely on millions of conversions between electrical and optical signals, which use a lot of energy and slow down data speeds. Salience’s switches use light to transmit and process data instead of traditional electronic methods, enabling faster and more energy-efficient communication, particularly across complex computing infrastructures such as AI data centres.
Salience’s move to Milton Park has more than tripled its workspace. The fit-out has expanded optical lab spaces to create a dedicated, collaborative environment for its 50+ employees, while the targeted EPC A rating supports Salience’s sustainability goals.
The team are developing optical switching technology in the new space, tackling two of computing’s biggest bottlenecks: latency (delays in response) and energy consumption. By keeping data in light rather than converting it back and forth into electrical signals, the approach reduces delays and lowers the power requirements of large-scale operations.
Salience Labs commented: “At Salience Labs, we’re developing optical switches that unlock higher performance and energy efficiency for next-generation AI infrastructure. As models grow in scale and complexity, breakthroughs in compute and networking aren’t just a nice to have… They’re essential.”
“To develop this, we need a custom-built home, and Milton Park has given us the opportunity to design this from the ground up.”
Tom Booker, Commercial Manager at Milton Park, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Salience Labs to Milton Park. The team’s work in Silicon Photonics is an exciting addition to the Park’s growing optics, AI and quantum cluster.
“We wish the team all the best as they settle into their new HQ at 100 Park Drive.”
Home to over 280 innovative companies, Salience joins a thriving innovation community at Milton Park.
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