Name: Ruti Ben Shlomi
Position: CEO and Co-Founder
Company: LightSolver
Website: https://lightsolver.com/
About Ruti Ben Shlomi and LightSolver
I discovered my passion for quantum and atomic/molecular physics when I was pursuing my MSc at the Ben-Gurion University, where I had the unique opportunity to build an ultracold atom system from scratch. This was a particularly interesting field of study, as cold ions are one of the leading and promising platforms for quantum computers.
I decided to continue on this research path, studying for my PhD in Physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. There, I continued to build ultra-cold atom and cold ion systems – specifically looking at what will happen when a cold atom meets an ion in an excited state. This was no easy feat, but it was here that I was able to discover amazing quantum phenomena that are typical of cold collisions.
Then, also at the Weizmann Institute, I met Chene Tradonsky, who would later co-found LightSolver with me. Chene was researching how to solve hard mathematical problems using lasers while I had the know-how of building quantum computers. With this, we came up with a novel idea that I would soon realize was not only an interesting and challenging opportunity, but had the power to change the world of computation.
This led to the concept of building an Ising machine using coupled lasers – a machine that calculates optimization problems at the speed of light, a million times faster than traditional computing methods based on electronic components. We understood that this new laser-based computing method could become practical and scalable much faster than quantum computers.
Backed by academic advisor Prof. Nir Davidson, we set out in 2020 to found LightSolver and build a new supercomputer based purely on lasers. Today, our company operates in the heart of Tel Aviv with 30 employees, of which 19 are PhDs in physics and mathematics. Together, we have built the world’s first quantum-inspired laser-based solver to provide solutions for complex optimization problems like route and scheduling optimization in logistics, financial risk modelling, portfolio optimization, threat detection, feature selection in machine learning, and more.
Our clients use our cloud platform for computations that would take enormous amounts of energy to run on supercomputers, if feasible at all. Thanks to the use of laser beams instead of qubits, our computer operates at room temperature and is energy-efficient and cost-effective. We are about to release the Laser Processing Unit (LPU) 100 capable of 100 laser spins, and our research team is working relentlessly on scaling capacity and building a rack-size device that clients can run on-premise, on autonomous and airborne vehicles, or at remote sites such as oil rigs. In 2024, we are also working on extending LightSolver’s functionality to include computations used in AI and machine learning.
It has been an incredible privilege to take the vision developed during my PhD with Chene at Weizmann, build a startup, and see the first clients using our platform to solve real-world problems. I’m excited that we will be able to provide solutions crucial for the benefit of humanity, like building smart cities, finding new drugs, and developing sustainable energy.
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