Shedding Light on AI: Can Optical Chips Revolutionize Computing?

Shedding Light on AI: Can Optical Chips Revolutionize Computing?
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Shedding Light on AI: Can Optical Chips Revolutionize Computing?

Think Moore's Law will keep up with AI? Think again — light-based chips might just outshine silicon.

The rapid growth in AI’s computing demands is outpacing traditional silicon chips, prompting researchers to explore optical computing, which uses photons instead of electrons.

Light-based systems promise faster processing and greater efficiency, crucial for AI’s future. Recent advancements show optical neural networks (ONNs) performing tasks like matrix multiplication, a core component of AI, more efficiently than electronic systems.

However, challenges remain, including scaling these systems to compete with giants like Nvidia. As optical computing progresses, the potential to revolutionize AI and other high-demand fields grows. Will this breakthrough redefine the future of technology and energy consumption?

Read the full article on Quanta Magazine.

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Dr. Mark van Rijmenam

Dr. Mark van Rijmenam

Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.

He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.

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