Avicena has named Marco Chisari, former EVP of Samsung Foundries and Head of the Samsung Semiconductor Innovation Center, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Chisari replaces Avicena co-founder Bardia Pezeshki, who now takes on the role of Chief Technology Officer. The executive change comes as Avicena positions itself for rapid growth in AI data center and disaggregated memory infrastructure. The company recently secured $65 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global.
Based in Sunnyvale, CA, Avicena has pioneered microLED-based chip-to-chip interconnects through its proprietary LightBundle architecture. This optical technology delivers ultra-low power and high-density data links that overcome the scaling limitations of traditional copper and laser-based connections. Avicena claims its interconnects enable GPUs to scale across racks while maintaining sub-pJ/bit efficiency—an essential metric for AI workloads where bandwidth and energy are critical constraints.
Chisari brings over two decades of leadership across semiconductors, M&A, and investment banking, with senior roles at GlobalFoundries, Mubadala, JPMorgan, and most recently, Samsung. “I am very impressed by Avicena’s technology, patent portfolio, ecosystem and customer traction,” said Chisari. “The goal is to realize the full potential of the technology and bring it into the AI market.”
- Avicena appoints Marco Chisari as CEO, former EVP at Samsung Foundries
- Co-founder Bardia Pezeshki moves to CTO role
- $65M Series B funding led by Tiger Global to accelerate AI interconnect deployments
- LightBundle microLED tech enables sub-pJ/bit optical links for rack-scale GPU clusters
- Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, with a subsidiary in Edinburgh, Scotland
🌐 Analysis: The leadership transition signals Avicena’s readiness to commercialize its microLED-based LightBundle technology amid explosive demand for AI interconnects. At Hot Interconnects 2025, Avicena discussed a 100 Gbps link using microLEDs with extreme energy efficiency, targeting future disaggregated memory and chiplet fabrics. Competitors like Ayar Labs and Lightmatter are also racing to define the photonic interconnect stack, but Avicena’s use of microLEDs sets it apart in terms of manufacturability and thermal efficiency. Chisari’s appointment, coupled with fresh funding, strengthens Avicena’s path to adoption in hyperscale AI infrastructure.
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