Researchers from Aalto University reported a breakthrough in photonic computing on November 16, 2025. As reported by ScienceDaily, citing a publication in Nature Photonics, the team demonstrated an optical circuit capable of performing tensor operations (the basis of neural networks) in a single pass of a coherent light beam. Data is encoded in the lights phase and amplitude, and the computations occur passively on a specially designed metasurface. This eliminates the need for traditional electronics, potentially leading to AI chips with supercomputer performance at minimal energy consumption.
Aalto University: A Single Beam of Light Runs AI with Supercomputer Power
