Arago is a Paris-based startup developing hybrid optical-digital processors powered by light for energy-efficient AI inference.
Arago is a Paris-based deep tech company founded in 2024 that builds energy-efficient AI chips powered by light. The company develops hybrid optical-digital processors designed for AI inference, combining optical computing speed with semiconductor reliability and targeting a substantial reduction in the energy cost of running AI models.
Its product, JEF, is a hybrid optical-digital processor that fuses optical speed with semiconductor reliability and is produced using standard manufacturing processes. Arago states that JEF achieves 10x lower energy consumption than today's leading GPUs at equivalent performance. The company describes itself as the fastest and only firm to produce such a photonic processor using standard manufacturing processes. The work spans photonics, optical computing, semiconductors, optoelectronics, machine learning, and software.
The company frames its technology against rising demand for AI compute, citing Google's reported AI inference volume of 1.3 quadrillion tokens per month by late 2025, a 135-fold increase year over year. Arago was founded by AI researchers and physicists and is backed by executives from Apple, Arm, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Hugging Face, as well as prominent US and European deeptech venture firms.
Arago is based in Paris, France, with presence in the United States and Europe. Its stated focus is sustainable, energy-efficient AI compute at the intersection of semiconductor, optics, and AI research.
