# Dave Welch

> Dave Welch is the founder and CEO of AttoTude, a Menlo Park deep-tech startup building the world's first terahertz interconnect that runs over wire instead of fiber or photonics, aimed at unclogging the data-movement bottleneck inside AI and hyperscale data centers. A co-founder of Infinera, where he pioneered large-scale photonic integrated circuits, and former CTO at SDL, Welch holds more than 200 patents, has authored roughly 300 publications, and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In April 2025 AttoTude raised a $50M Series B, pushing total funding past $90M.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at AttoTude
- **Organizations:** AttoTude, Infinera, SDL, JDS Uniphase, National Academy of Engineering
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Holds more than 200 patents, Authored roughly 300 technical publications, Member of the National Academy of Engineering

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Joined SDL, eventually serving as Chief Technology Officer and VP of Corporate Development
- **2001** — Led the technology strategy behind SDL's merger with JDS Uniphase
- **2001** — Co-founded Infinera, pioneering large-scale photonic integrated circuits; later President and Chief Innovation Officer
- **2016** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to high-power semiconductor lasers and photonic integrated circuits
- **2024** — AttoTude raised a $29M-$30M Series A for THz interconnect technology
- **2025** — AttoTude secured a $50M Series B led by Mayfield, total funding surpassing $90M
- **2026** — AttoTude announced a collaboration with Keysight on signal analysis for THz interconnect development

## Achievements

- Holds more than 200 patents
- Authored roughly 300 technical publications
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering
- Fellow of OSA (Optica) and IEEE
- Recipient of the Adolph Lomb Medal (OSA)
- Recipient of the John Tyndall Award (OSA)
- Recipient of the Joseph Fraunhofer Award (OSA)
- Recipient of the JJ Thompson Medal for Achievement in Electronics (IET)
- Recipient of the Ernst Weber Managerial Leadership Award (IEEE)
- Co-founded Infinera, a leader in photonic integrated circuit-based optical networking

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — AttoTude announced a collaboration with Keysight on advanced signal analysis solutions for THz interconnect development.
- **2025-04** — AttoTude closed a $50M Series B led by Mayfield to accelerate deployment of its THz interconnect technology.

## Links

- Website: https://attotude.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-welch-b359b630

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dave-welch
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-13