Light-powered AI chip delivers 100x efficiency

The Light-powered AI chip developed at the University of Florida could change the future of artificial intelligence. Traditional AI models consume huge amounts of electricity. This new optical chip uses laser light instead of pure electricity, reducing energy costs and boosting processing speed.

How the Light-powered AI chip works

The chip performs convolution operations, one of the most energy-demanding AI tasks. Researchers integrated optical components onto silicon. Laser light passes through ultra-thin Fresnel lenses etched on the chip. The system transforms data into light, processes it, and converts it back into digital signals. This design cuts energy use by up to 100 times.

Accuracy and performance results

Tests showed that the Light-powered AI chip classified handwritten digits with 98% accuracy. This matches conventional chips while consuming near-zero energy. Researchers also used wavelength multiplexing, where multiple laser colors run in parallel, allowing the chip to process many data streams at once.

Future of optical AI computing

The study, reported in Advanced Photonics, involved the Florida Semiconductor Institute, UCLA, and George Washington University. According to lead scientist Volker Sorger, chip-based optics will soon become a standard in AI systems. Optical AI chips can easily integrate with current semiconductor technologies, opening the door to sustainable AI growth.

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