Laser action was observed in GaN pyramids under strong optical pumping at room temperature. The pyramids were laterally overgrown on a patterned GaN/AlN seeding layer grown on a (111) silicon substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Each pyramid had a 15-mu m-wide hexagonal base and was on average 15 mu m in height. The pyramids were individually pumped, imaged, and spectrally analyzed through a high-magnification telescope system using a high-density pulsed excitation source. Under high levels of optical pumping, multimode laser at room temperature was observed. The integrated emission intensity for both spontaneous and lasing peaks was studied as a function of excitation power density. The effects of pyramid geometry and short-pulse excitation on the multimode nature of laser oscillations inside of the pyramids is discussed. This study suggests that GaN microstructures could potentially be used as pixel elements and high-density two-dimensional laser arrays. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)02742-9].