Microcomb launches photonic chip to reduce data centre energy use

Microcomb, a new deep technology spinout from Swinburne University of Technology, has launched photonic chip technology aimed at addressing the rising energy demands of AI data centres. The company utilizes optical microcomb technology, which uses a fingernail-sized chip to convert a single laser color into a spectrum of light to transmit data across multiple channels.

According to Professor David Moss, co-founder of Microcomb, this approach serves as a more efficient alternative to traditional optical transmission, which requires multiple energy-intensive lasers to generate separate channels. The technology is designed with a small footprint, potentially allowing for integration into existing AI data centre infrastructures without requiring major hardware upgrades.

The launch comes as the industry faces a growing energy crisis. The electricity required for high-performance computing (HPC) and the cooling systems needed to manage heat from densely packed GPUs are becoming central engineering constraints for the scaling of artificial intelligence.