New programmable photonic chip can control how fast light moves

2026-07-22 · Source: Artificial Intelligence News -- ScienceDaily · Field: Technology & Digital — Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing & IT Infrastructure · Depth: Advanced, medium

Summary

Scientists from Seoul National University and the University of Seoul have developed a programmable photonic integrated circuit capable of dynamically controlling the speed and shape of optical signals. This chip addresses a critical bottleneck in optical computing by providing essential delays, synchronization, and buffering functions, which are difficult to achieve with light's fixed speed. Unlike traditional coupled-resonator-induced transparency (CRIT) devices with fixed characteristics, this new design unifies bright and dark optical modes and incorporates two controllable loop couplers. This allows real-time adjustment of signal delay, bandwidth, and passband shape, even converting light frequency without additional components. Simulations on a silicon nitride (Si3N4) platform indicate reliable operation under realistic conditions, suggesting the technology could significantly reduce energy use, cost, and complexity in AI servers and data centers by combining multiple optical functions onto a single chip.

Key takeaway

For AI Architects designing next-generation data centers, this programmable photonic chip offers a path to overcome current electronic computing bottlenecks. You can achieve dynamic control over optical signal delays, synchronization, and frequency conversion, consolidating multiple functions onto a single silicon nitride device. This flexibility could significantly reduce energy consumption and hardware complexity in your AI servers, making optical computing more practical for real-time, large-scale AI model processing.

Key insights

A programmable photonic chip can dynamically control light speed and shape, enabling flexible optical signal processing.

Principles

• Unifying bright and dark optical modes enhances CRIT flexibility.
• Controllable loop couplers enable dynamic signal parameter adjustment.
• Programmable optical components can consolidate multiple functions.

Method

The researchers designed a CRIT system by unifying bright and dark modes and adding two controllable loop couplers to adjust delay, bandwidth, and passband shape.

In practice

• Implement dynamic signal synchronization in optical networks.
• Consolidate multiple optical functions onto a single chip.
• Reconfigure optical signal processing in real-time.

Topics

• Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Optical Computing
• CRIT
• Silicon Nitride
• AI Servers
• Data Centers
• Signal Processing

Best for: Research Scientist, AI Scientist, AI Engineer, AI Architect

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial Intelligence News -- ScienceDaily.