Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of computer chiplets based on photonic integrated circuits that use light instead of electricity for computation.
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
September 22, 2025
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Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of computer chiplets based on photonic integrated circuits that use light instead of electricity for computation. Specifically, the project team will (1) develop, fabricate, test, and validate photonic integrated circuit hardware components to meet predetermined metrics, (2) develop, test, and validate a digital twin model of system components and full integrated chiplet, (3) fabricate, test, and validate prototype chiplet to meet performance targets. If successful, this project will result in photonic integrated circuits with two to three orders of magnitude of energy efficiency of AI systems, for use in mobile devices, computing centers, and data centers, ultimately reducing dependence on foreign energy sources, thereby increasing U.S. energy security.