Taara, formerly a project within Alphabet’s X lab, announced today that it has officially spun out as an independent company. In a blog post and podcast, Taara CEO Mahesh Krishnaswamy revealed that the company has secured new funding—led by Series X Capital—to commercialize its next-generation wireless optical communication systems designed to close critical gaps in global internet connectivity.
Taara’s mission is to deliver high-speed, fiber-like connectivity using beams of light, and its breakthrough silicon photonic chip marks a major milestone in the effort. Unlike its earlier Lightbridge units, which used mechanical mirrors and sensors for beam alignment, the new chip introduces solid-state beam steering via an optical phased array, fully controlled by software. This advancement significantly reduces size, complexity, and cost, enabling rapid, scalable deployments.
In recent tests at Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory, Taara’s prototype chip demonstrated a data rate of 10 Gbps over a 1-kilometer outdoor link without any moving parts. The company plans to launch an advanced version of the chip in 2026, targeting even longer distances and higher throughput.
“Our team imagines a future where connectivity isn’t bound by cables or constrained by cost,” said Krishnaswamy. “By dramatically reducing the size and complexity of our systems, our aim is to drastically lower the cost of connectivity.”
Taara said its newly independent status will allow it to aggressively expand its deployment footprint. The company’s Lightbridge system—capable of delivering internet speeds up to 20 Gbps over distances of up to 20 km—has already been deployed in over a dozen countries, including India, Kenya, Ghana, Fiji, and the U.S. Commercial partnerships include leading telecom operators such as Airtel, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liberty Networks, T-Mobile, and Vodafone.
By using narrow, invisible beams of light to bridge connectivity gaps where laying fiber is impractical or cost-prohibitive—such as over rivers, rugged terrain, or in congested urban centers—Taara offers a complementary solution to both fiber and radio-frequency-based systems. The technology aims to ease strain on congested RF bands as global 5G and fixed wireless deployments expand.
Krishnaswamy noted that the idea for Taara grew out of X’s Loon project, which pioneered stratospheric balloon networks for remote connectivity. “The connectivity challenge is only becoming more urgent as the world’s demand for data increases,” Krishnaswamy wrote. “Where fiber fails to reach, Taara steps in.”
Looking ahead, Taara will continue collaborating with partners and researchers to develop new use cases, including secure, low-latency links for inter-data center connections and autonomous vehicle communications.
Highlights:
- Taara becomes an independent company, spinning out of Alphabet’s X lab.
- Secures new funding round led by Series X Capital to scale deployments globally.
- New silicon photonic chip eliminates mechanical parts with solid-state beam steering.
- Achieved 10 Gbps over a 1 km outdoor free-space link in lab tests.
- Current Lightbridge deployments already delivering up to 20 Gbps over 20 km distances.
- Active commercial partnerships with Airtel, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liberty Networks, T-Mobile, and Vodafone
- Taara’s technology first originated on Project Loon.
- Next-generation chip with enhanced capacity and range targeted for 2026 release.
- Taara’s name is derived from a Sanskrit root meaning “to cross” and in many contemporary Indian languages “tara” means star. The project started testing in India (see here and here) so the team name pays homage to the project’s Indian roots.
