Photonic chips are making significant strides in 2025, promising a revolution in computing power, particularly for artificial intelligence (AI). Traditional electronic microchips are facing limitations due to rising production costs and physical performance constraints.
Photonic chips utilize photons instead of electrons for information transfer and processing. This approach enables higher speeds and greater bandwidth with lower energy consumption. Photonic systems minimize electrical current losses from resistance and reduce waste heat generation.
Recent studies highlight advancements in photonic chip technology. Lightelligence, a Singapore-based company, has developed a Photonic Arithmetic Computing Engine (PACE) with over 16,000 photonic components. This processor exhibits low latency and effectively tackles complex computational tasks, demonstrating its potential for real-world applications. Lightmatter, a California-based company, has created a photonic processor capable of running AI systems with accuracy comparable to electronic processors. This processor has shown efficiency in tasks like generating text, classifying film reviews, and even playing games such as Pac-Man.
These photonic systems could be integral to scalable, next-generation hardware for AI. Despite existing limitations affecting speed and computational abilities, the platform's scalability holds promise for future advancements.