What Are Photonic Chips? The Light-Based Technology Changing Computing
From the time you wake up on Monday to the time you wake up on Tuesday, chips surround you. They’re everywhere – your phone, computers, even your refrigerator. For decades, we have relied on silicon and electrons to transmit power and data. They’ve worked so well that we continue to find ways to use them. As our demands have grown, however, these traditional chips are starting to struggle with keeping up. We are hitting the physical and thermal limits of what silicon can handle. The new kid on the block is photonic chips – a radical shift that uses light instead of electricity. Light may be the future of computing.
What Are Photonic Chips
Traditional chips, like the ones we use for CPUs and GPUs, use electrons moving through silicon transistors to perform logic and store data. They’ve been highly refined, but they’re starting to face limitations on performance. Enter photonic chips – chips that use light (photons) instead of electricity (electrons) to perform these functions.
A good example of how photonics can move us forward is fiber-optic cabling. Many communities now have fiber-based internet, which dramatically outperforms traditional copper cabling—not just in speed, but in reliability. Fiber experiences far less signal attenuation, meaning data travels farther with less degradation. Photonic chips work on a similar principle, using light instead of electricity to move data, with many of the same benefits, scaled down to the chip level.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the features of traditional chips and photonic chips:
| Feature | Traditional Chips (Electronic) | Photonic Chips (Optical) |
|---|---|---|
| Signal Carrier | Electrons | Photons (light) |
| Speed | Slower due to resistance | Faster (near speed of light) |
| Heat Generation | High | Low |
| Energy Efficiency | Moderate to low | High |
| Data Bandwidth | Limited by copper traces | Extremely high |
| Interference Issues | Yes (crosstalk, resistance) | Minimal |
| Manufacturing Maturity | Very mature | Still developing |
| Current Use Cases | All general-purpose computing | Data centers, AI, optical I/O |
The advantages we see here are why photonic chips are the future of high-performance computing. But how do they work?
How Photonic Chips Work
Photonic chips use light (photons) to carry data, rather than using electric current. Data flows through waveguides—tiny optical paths etched into the chip, like miniature fiber-optic cables. Modulators encode data onto the light waves by altering their intensity, phase, or frequency. Photodetectors convert the light signals back into electrical signals, where that’s needed (for hybrid systems). Lasers or light sources provide the initial signal. The sources can be integrated on-chip, or they can be externally coupled. Some chips are hybrid photonic-electronic, using light for communication and electronics for logic. The result: ultra-fast, low-power data movement, ideal for AI, data centers, and high-performance computing.
Current Applications
As you might expect, there are some frontrunners in the application of photonics. AI, of course, and Machine Learning acceleration are leaders, as well as data centers and cloud computing. Where else might we need ultra-fast communication? Think of telecommunications, and 5G and 6G infrastructure. The efforts to develop a quantum computer that can stay running are an interest here as well.
Challenges to Widespread Adoption
As with any technology, getting from the drawing board to actual use is never as simple as speaking it into existence. Photonic chips are both complex and expensive to produce. We also have to make sure they’ll work with the existing technology, because it’s still going to be around a while. But at this time, there’s a limited supply chain and ecosystem. Those will develop and evolve, but it won’t happen overnight.
It’s worth pursuing, though, because we’re all craving more speed – more speed – more speed – and we’re putting increasingly more devices on the Internet, expecting them to work well. All those devices generate heat, and finding a way to make them work while generating less heat is really important. I’ve been in a small server room when the air conditioning in that room wasn’t working, and it took a handful of minutes to reach a point that was dangerous for the equipment. Gaming, then cryptocurrency mining, and now AI have placed unsustainable demands on computing systems. Cooler computing and increased speed and reliability constitute an attractive incentive.
Your Turn
When I was growing up, things like video calls, smart assistants, and lightning-fast computing were pure science fiction. Now I use them every day—and so do my kids, who think nothing of it.
What tech in your daily life would’ve seemed like a wild fantasy when you were growing up? Or, if you’re younger, what tech do you use now that your parents or grandparents still find amazing?
Drop your answer in the comments—I’d love to hear it.
Ready to dive deeper? Check out these links:
Photonic integrated circuit – Wikipedia
What is a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and How Does It Work? | Synopsys
My photography shops are https://www.oakwoodfineartphotography.com/ and https://oakwoodfineart.etsy.com, my merch shops are https://www.zazzle.com/store/south_fried_shop and https://society6.com/southernfriedyanqui.
Check out my New and Featured page – the latest photos and merch I’ve added to my shops! https://oakwoodexperience.com/new-and-featured/
Curious about safeguarding your digital life without getting lost in the technical weeds? Check out ‘Your Data, Your Devices, and You’—a straightforward guide to understanding and protecting your online presence. Perfect for those who love tech but not the jargon. Available now on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Data-Devices-Easy-Follow-ebook/dp/B0D5287NR3
