Pennsylvania, Montana State Researchers Unveil 4-Femtojoule Optical Switch for AI Photonic Chips
Updated
Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 25
Pennsylvania, Montana State Researchers Unveil 4-Femtojoule Optical Switch for AI Photonic Chips
2 articles · Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 25
About 4 femtojoules of light was enough for researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Montana State to demonstrate fully optical switching, with response times of a few picoseconds.
The device pairs a MoSe₂ monolayer with a photonic crystal nanocavity, using exciton-polaritons to make photons interact — a key hurdle for computing that processes information with light instead of electrons.
Physical Review Letters reported the switching threshold is several orders of magnitude below earlier limits in 2D exciton-polariton systems, pointing to much lower-power photonic logic.
The team said the platform can be made with standard fabrication techniques, supporting denser photonic circuits for AI hardware, neuromorphic computing and quantum information processing.
Researchers said 4 femtojoules is not a hard limit and that further reductions by orders of magnitude could eventually push the switch toward a regime where one photon controls another.
This new switch controls light with minimal energy, but how close is the quantum leap to controlling light with a single photon?
As optical chips race to power AI, can this university breakthrough overcome the immense manufacturing hurdles to compete with industry giants?
Will low-precision 'analog' flaws doom the promise of optical computing before it can truly challenge power-hungry silicon chips for complex AI tasks?
4 Femttojoule All-Optical Switch Breaks Energy Record, Ushering in Photonic AI Chip Revolution
Overview
In May 2026, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Montana State University announced a groundbreaking all-optical switch that set a new record for energy efficiency, operating at just 4 femtojoules per switching event. This innovation, built by integrating a single layer of molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) with a photonic crystal nanocavity, marks a pivotal moment for photonic chips. The switch’s advanced design enables powerful and efficient computing architectures, promising to revolutionize how data is processed and transmitted, and paving the way for the next generation of high-performance, energy-efficient computing systems.