LightSolver and the EIC Accelerator: A Laser Computer, Now Sold

LightSolver, founded in 2020 by Weizmann Institute physicists Ruti Ben Shlomi and Chene Tradonsky, builds the Laser Processing Unit (LPU), a computer that uses coupled lasers rather than electronic circuits to solve some classes of problem. Its EIC Accelerator project, "An All-Optical computer for solving Hard Optimization Problems", receives an EU contribution of €2,499,999 and runs from December 2024 to November 2026, according to CORDIS. The objective targeted NP-hard optimisation for supply chains, materials design and financial portfolios. The first report says the prototype's final design was completed, core components produced, and a cloud layer with a live API and an operational LPU Lab launched, according to CORDIS.

On 3 September 2026 CollPlant Biotechnologies, a Nasdaq-listed Israeli regenerative medicine company, completed its acquisition of LightSolver. It paid mainly in its own shares and pre-funded warrants, invested $5 million in LightSolver, and granted further warrants that vest when LightSolver hits technological and commercial milestones, according to PR Newswire. CollPlant's chief executive said photonic computing would run alongside its regenerative medicine business. Ben Shlomi remains LightSolver's chief executive.

Where LightSolver Stands Now

In April 2026 LightSolver announced a strategic financial partnership with Boeing, which is funding development of the LPU for engineering simulation, with emphasis on numerical accuracy, repeatability and integration with existing high-performance computing, according to GlobeNewswire. The amount was not disclosed. LightSolver now describes the LPU as accelerating scientific and engineering simulation, partial differential equations, large linear systems and optimisation.

The Technology: Letting Lasers Find the Answer

In the LPU, many lasers are coupled so that the pattern of light they settle into encodes the solution to a problem. The CORDIS summary says it has no electronic components inside the processor, works at room temperature, fits on a desktop and uses little power. A digital layer extends the number of variables the optics can handle. Since the Boeing deal, the company has emphasised solving partial differential equations directly through laser dynamics, a shift from the optimisation focus of the EIC project.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until November 2026, so it is too early to judge it. It has produced a finished prototype design and cloud access. The company it funded now belongs to a biotech group and has refocused its public pitch on engineering simulation. How much of the optimisation roadmap survives is not public.

1. Prototype designDeliveredFirst report.
2. Cloud accessLiveAPI and LPU Lab.
3. Industrial partnerDeliveredBoeing, 2026.
4. Commercial salesUnverifiedNone announced.

The Money

The only disclosed cash figures are the €2.5 million EIC grant and CollPlant's $5 million investment at closing; the value of the shares and warrants CollPlant issued was not stated in the closing announcement. The award was blended finance; no EIC Fund investment has been announced, and LightSolver's accounts are not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC funded an Israeli start-up to build a new kind of computer. Within two years, a US aerospace company became its funding partner and an Israeli biotech its owner. The technology can still reach European users, but the EIC's stake in where it goes is now limited to the grant.

The Verdict

LightSolver, CollPlant and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.