Project 'Taara', which provides Internet connectivity using laser light, is independent from research institute 'X' owned by Google's parent company

X (formerly Google X) , a research institute under Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is conducting various research projects that have the potential to lead to the next generation of groundbreaking products. From X, a project called ' Taara ' has been spun out, which uses laser light to provide Internet connectivity to areas with inadequate infrastructure.

Introducing the Light Generation - Google X Blog
https://x.company/blog/posts/taara-graduation/

Alphabet spins off laser-based internet project from 'moonshot' hub
https://www.ft.com/content/1331c131-7b89-47ab-8dd2-3ce6c6a2307a

Alphabet's Starlink competitor Taara is spinning off into an independent company
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/alphabets-starlink-competitor-taara-is-spinning-off-into-an-independent-company-154653176.html

Originally, X was working on a project called 'Loon ,' which involved sending balloons equipped with Wi-Fi antennas into the stratosphere at an altitude of about 20 km to provide internet access to areas without communication infrastructure. One engineer who was involved in Loon thought that 'maybe we can solve the problem of internet access closer to the ground,' and so he launched 'Taara,' which uses lasers to provide internet access.

Taara is a project that provides wireless optical communication using laser light. It works by shining invisible laser light the width of a pencil from a distance to a receiver just 5cm in size. The system can transmit data at high speeds of 20Gb/s over distances of up to 20km, does not require physical cables or large-scale facilities or construction, and takes only a few hours to set up.

Therefore, it is a promising means of providing high-speed Internet access in areas where it is difficult or too expensive to lay conventional optical fiber, such as densely built-up urban areas, areas separated by rivers or oceans, and rugged mountainous areas.

Loon wasshut down completely in 2021 due to regulatory hurdles in launching large numbers of balloons and difficulties in maintaining the equipment. However, Taara, which inherited the spirit of Loon, has steadily achieved results, and in 2021, it succeeded in transmitting 700TB of data at 20Gbps over a distance of about 5km between Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, and Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are neighboring each other across the Congo River.

Google sister company succeeds in transferring 700TB of data to a location 5km away using 20Gbps wireless optical communication - GIGAZINE

On March 17, 2025, it was announced that Taara would be independent from X after successfully raising funds in a funding round led by venture capital fund Series X Capital . It was revealed that Alphabet would hold a minority stake, but detailed fundraising details and financial targets were not disclosed.

Based in Sunnyvale , California, near Google's headquarters, Taara has 20 staff members at the time of writing and is actively recruiting. It already operates in 12 countries, including India and Africa, and even provides a service to supplement overloaded mobile phone networks at the Coachella music festival in the California desert.

Mahesh Krishnaswamy, general manager of Taara, said the next step in development is a silicon photonics chip that would eliminate the need for the many mirrors and lenses in the system terminal. In the future, Taara's optical-based chip unit may even replace radio-based Wi-Fi communication.

In addition, as a service that provides Internet connection, Starlink, which deploys satellite communication by artificial satellites, is reminiscent, but Taara does not contract directly with consumers like Starlink, but develops services in partnership with major telecommunications companies such as T-Mobile. Krishnaswamy said, 'Think of Taara as a backbone that helps strengthen and accelerate existing infrastructure,' explaining that it is different from Starlink.

Furthermore, Starlink is a system that transmits a limited amount of bandwidth to a certain area, and as the number of users in the same area increases, the overall speed decreases, so it is not suitable for deployment in urban areas. In addition, Taara's device can be attached to poles, trees, buildings, etc. and started using in a few hours, and it has a technical advantage over Starlink, which requires launching artificial satellites.