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Silicon Valley’s decades-long reign over computing may soon face a luminous challenger. As revealed in a recent IEEE Journal roundtable, the future of information processing could rely less on electrons and more on light itself, marking a potential paradigm shift in how we process and transmit data.

The interview, titled “The Future of Optical Modulation,” was published in Volume 30, Issue 4 of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics on September 5, 2024.

The distinguished panel brought together some of photonics’ most influential voices. Leading the discussion was Professor Di Liang, whose seventeen-year journey through silicon photonics research has taken him from UC-Santa Barbara to HP Labs and Alibaba Cloud before landing at the University of Michigan. His expertise in heterogeneous photonic integration represents a cornerstone of modern optical computing research.

Joining him was Dr. Mengyue Xu, whose groundbreaking work at Michigan has helped advance both lithium niobate devices and silicon photonics. The industry perspective came from Dr. Long Chen, who brings his experience as a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco, following his tenure at Acacia, and Dr. Haisheng Rong, whose role as Senior Principal Engineer and R&D Manager at Intel Labs puts him at the forefront of commercial photonic development.

Rounding out the panel was Dr. Andreas Bechtolsheim, whose entrepreneurial vision helped shape the modern tech landscape through his co-founding of both Sun Microsystems and Arista Networks. His presence added a crucial perspective on the commercial viability and market potential of emerging photonic technologies.

This convergence of academic innovation and industry expertise offered a unique glimpse into both the theoretical possibilities and practical challenges facing the next generation of optical computing.

“We’re witnessing the dawn of a new era in photonic technology,” says Di Liang, who has tracked the field’s evolution through stints at HP Labs and Alibaba Cloud. “The traditional silicon-based approaches that served us well are reaching their limits.”

This limitation couldn’t come at a more crucial time. With artificial intelligence’s voracious appetite for computing power and data centers’ growing energy demands, the tech industry finds itself at a crossroads. The solution, according to a distinguished panel of experts from academia and industry, may lie in radical new approaches to manipulating light.

The technology in question – optical modulators – might sound esoteric, but these devices form the backbone of modern communications, enabling everything from high-speed internet to the sensors in self-driving cars. Traditional silicon-based modulators, while reliable workhorses, increasingly struggle to keep pace with demands for faster, more efficient processing.

Enter a new generation of exotic materials with names like lithium niobate and barium titanate. These substances, when crafted into ultra-thin films, demonstrate remarkable abilities to control light with unprecedented precision. Dr. Mengyue Xu, a specialist in these emerging materials at Michigan, sees particular promise in their application to quantum computing – a field where traditional electronics hit a wall.

Andreas Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a legend in Silicon Valley, views these developments through the lens of practical application. “The question isn’t just about technical capability,” he notes. “It’s about scalability and integration into existing systems.” His perspective carries weight – Bechtolsheim’s previous ventures helped shape the internet as we know it.

The challenges remain formidable. Manufacturing these advanced devices requires precision beyond current industrial standards. Costs remain high, and the technology lacks the decades of refinement that made silicon computing ubiquitous. Yet the momentum appears unstoppable, driven by urgent needs in artificial intelligence, data center efficiency, and quantum computing.

Intel Labs, traditionally a semiconductor powerhouse, has taken notice. Dr. Haisheng Rong, a senior principal engineer there, emphasizes the need for collaboration between chip designers, manufacturers, and researchers – a partnership model that echoes the early days of silicon valley.

The global political landscape adds another dimension to this technological shift. As nations race to secure technological sovereignty, investments in advanced computing technologies have surged. This competition, while tense, has accelerated innovation. “We’re seeing unprecedented cooperation between academia and industry,” Liang observes, noting how geopolitical pressures have paradoxically fostered closer collaboration within regional tech ecosystems.

For the average consumer, these advances promise more than just faster internet. The next generation of augmented reality devices, autonomous vehicles, and AI assistants will depend on these light-based technologies. The medical field anticipates breakthroughs in imaging and diagnostics, while environmental sensors could become more sensitive and energy-efficient.

As silicon photonics enters its next chapter, the industry faces a familiar pattern of challenge and adaptation. The experts agree: the future of computing may not lie in better chips, but in mastering the ancient art of controlling light itself – this time at the nanoscale, where the boundaries between science fiction and reality continue to blur.