Researchers at Cornell University have made progress in understanding how to build smaller, energy-efficient optical computing systems. The study focused on the limitations of using light for computation by analyzing the space required for light waves to propagate, interact, and perform calculations. Led by Associate Professor Francesco Monticone and postdoctoral researcher Yandong Li, the team examined the scaling laws for free-space optics and photonic circuits. Their findings detail how the physical size of optical systems increases with the complexity of the tasks they are designed to perform.

The research addresses a key challenge in optical computing: confining light in a smaller space. Unlike electrons, photons are more difficult to contain, making it hard to build compact devices that could, for example, perform complex AI tasks like image classification. The team’s analysis provides insights into the trade-offs between task complexity, performance, and the minimum physical size required to run optical computations effectively.

Source: Cornell University

Source Type: College

Source Location: Ithaca

Ithaca, NY

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