API and Database, Lightmatter
Intern
Hourly Rate in USD $50 - $55 USD
Light-powered AI computing
Job no longer available
Light-powered AI computing
201-500 employees
Job no longer available
Hourly Rate in USD $50 - $55 USD
201-500 employees
Company mission
To build an engine that will power discoveries, drive progress, and redefine what computers and human beings are capable of.
Role
Who you are
- 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
- Currently enrolled in CS graduate-level program
- 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
- Exposure in real-time data handling, including WebSockets or similar technologies
- Willingness and curiosity to learn from an exciting team!
What the job involves
- We are hiring an Intern for our Platform team at Lightmatter
- We are a photonic computer company redefining what computers and human beings are capable of by building the engines that will power discoveries and drive progress in a sustainable way
- With modern human progress relying heavily on computers, the world has hit a dead end with traditional transistors, and the prospect of constantly building data centers is an environmental nightmare
- Lightmatter has created a solution in photonic computing: using photons instead of electrons to take advantage of their higher bandwidth
- We build chips for artificial intelligence computing
- Our architecture leverages the unique properties of light to enable fast and efficient inference and training engines
- API Design & Development: 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
Our take
Neural networks and CPUs are vital to AI solutions, but manufacturers have largely failed to maintain innovation in recent years. Lightmatter solves this problem by offering a next-generation computing platform powered by photonics (light waves).
Lightmatter offers a forward-facing platform for AI-building that acts as an alternative to traditional solutions. It works by replacing wired CPUs with a combination of photonics and new algorithms. Lightmatter's solution is not only faster, but it is considerably more sustainable, and it has the potential to drive the next generation of AI development.
As of early 2026, Lightmatter had raised $850 million across six funding rounds and grown to a staggering valuation of $4.4 billion. This showcases the growing demand for faster, more effective AI-building solutions. With products already on the market and a roadmap to tackle even more components in the years ahead, the future for Lightmatter certainly looks bright.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Oct 2024
$400m
SERIES D
Dec 2023
$155m
SERIES C
Total funding: $822m
Company benefits
- Commuter benefit
- Happy hour -Spend time together and build friendships
- Generous vacation policy and holidays
- 401(K)
- Opportunity to learn from your peers and teach them what you know across electronics, photonics, machine learning, and more
Company HQ
Old Mountain View, Mountain View, CA
Leadership
Nicholas Harris
(CEO & Co-Founder)Previously worked as an R&D Product Engineer at Micron Technology, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT.
Thomas Graham
(Head of ML & Co-Founder)Was an M&A Analyst at Morgan Stanley, and worked as an Agency Business Development Manager at Google.
Darius Bunandar
(Chief Scientist & Co-Founder)Worked as a Research Collaborator at Caltech, and was a PhD Candidate at MIT.
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