IPronics has announced it has delivered initial shipments of its programmable photonic processor to several companies in a wide range of sectors.
Called the SmartLight processor, the photonic chip improves processing capabilities by using up to 10 times less power and can be 20 times faster than electrical chips while processing more information. The processor allows the reconfiguration of a common photonic hardware platform through software.
iPronics claims the SmartLight is the first fully programmable photonic chip since most photonic ICs are fixed-function or application-specific in operation. The photonics IC can cut development time from 18 months down to a couple of weeks as well as lowers power consumption, lowers latency and accelerates computation, the company said.
The photonic processor could be used in emerging markets and applications such as:
- 5G/6G signal processing
- Data centers
- Machine learning
- Artificial intelligence
- Computing
The company said its programmable photonic processors have been dispatched to customers in the U.S. and Europe including a multinational telecommunications and electronics company.
