Photonic Computing Revolution

Researchers have demonstrated a silicon photonic chip capable of performing matrix multiplication operations at petaflop speeds using optical interference, with energy consumption orders of magnitude below electronic alternatives.

Technical Innovation

The photonic processor leverages:

- Mach-Zehnder interferometer arrays for programmable matrix operations

- Wavelength-division multiplexing for parallel computation

- On-chip photodetectors for optical-to-electrical conversion

Performance Analysis

Key metrics include:

- Peak performance: 1.2 petaflops for 8-bit precision

- Energy efficiency: 300 TOPS/W

- Latency: Sub-nanosecond matrix operations

Impact on AI Inference

This technology could revolutionize AI inference by enabling real-time processing of large language models and computer vision tasks with minimal power consumption.