Programmable photonic chips accelerate optical computing, quantum processing

Researchers at Seoul National University have designed a programmable photonic chip that can dynamically delay, synchronize, buffer, and change the frequency of optical pulses on a single chip. The concept, based on coupled‑resonator‑induced transparency (CRIT) using a silicon‑nitride platform, remains in simulation but targets the growing need for silicon photonics in AI data centers, where optical interconnects are projected to exceed $34 billion by 2030.

In China, Yi‑Han Luo and collaborators at the International Quantum Academy, Shenzhen Futian SUSTech Institute, the University of Science and Technology of China and the Southern University of Science and Technology demonstrated a low‑loss silicon‑nitride integrated photonic platform for discrete‑variable quantum information processing. The chip produced high‑fidelity Einstein‑Podolsky‑Rosen states and a record‑high 0.943‑fidelity four‑photon GHZ state with a four‑fold count rate of 27 Hz, overcoming previous loss barriers and showing promise for scalable quantum processors.