Photons instead of electrons could shape the computer technology of the future. With the help of light, circuits can become even smaller and computers even faster. The optical hardware alternatives open up the possibility for fascinating applications, for example in the field of artificial intelligence, and high-performance computers that come close to the functioning of the human brain.
At the University of Heidelberg, scientists led by experimental physicist Wolfram Pernice are researching nanophotonics and are working on realizing integrated optical circuits for artificial intelligence and optical quantum computing.
