Optalysys is a UK-based technology company specializing in optical computing to accelerate Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). Founded in 2013 by Dr. Nick New and Robert Todd, the company is headquartered in Leeds and has developed groundbreaking solutions for secure data processing.
Optalysys leverages silicon photonics to enhance the performance of FHE, a cryptographic method that allows computations on encrypted data without decryption. Their technology aims to overcome the traditional limitations of FHE, which is computationally intensive and slow on conventional hardware. By utilizing light instead of electricity, Optalysys accelerates FHE processes, making them more practical for real-world applications.
Key products include the LightLocker™ Node, a confidential blockchain server designed to enable private smart contracts, confidential DeFi, and secure Web3 applications. It integrates accelerated FHE to ensure data privacy and performance. The company also offers Enable Technology, a range of products from all-electronic to hybrid optical-electronic systems that accelerate FHE workflows. Optalysys is developing advanced FPGA accelerator technology, with plans to introduce hybrid photonic-FPGA systems and eventually fully integrated ASICs with photonic interconnects.
Optalysys has formed strategic collaborations to advance its mission. It partnered with Duality Technologies to integrate its cloud technology into Duality’s software products and the open-source OpenFHE library, aiming to make FHE more accessible and scalable across industries like healthcare and finance. The company also collaborated with Google HEIR to incorporate photonic processing into HEIR’s compiler toolchain for FHE, significantly improving performance and efficiency.
