The article Photonic Chips: German start-up puts Nvidia in the shadow of Felix Baumann first appeared on Basic Thinking. You always stay up to date with our newsletter.
The Stuttgart start-up Q.ant has developed a AI chip that expects light instead of electricity and is therefore supposed to consume significantly less energy. The photonic chip could even put the semiconductors from Nvidia in the shade.
A German start-up has set the course for the future of the chip industry. The Stuttgart -based company Q.ant has together with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart (IMS Chips) with the construction of a production system started for photonic AI processors.
The special thing: The new technology is based on existing semiconductor technology instead of specifying completely new systems. Photonic chips are the key to the next generation of computer technology. The new pilot line in Stuttgart is intended to show, among other things, how existing production infrastructures can be recycled.
What are photonic chips?
Instead of electrical signals, light particles (photons) are used for the photonic chips. This has two great advantages: on the one hand, energy consumption is decreasing and on the other hand, significantly higher transmission speeds are possible. This approach could be lucrative, especially for arithmetic-intensive applications such as AI systems or research simulations.
Q.ant speaks of 30-fold energy savings and 50 times faster computing power compared to conventional chips. This is made possible by the use of thin film lithium niobat (tfln). This material can control the light effectively and precisely without heating itself.
Photonic chips can also carry out a large number of arithmetic operations at the same time. One and the same chip enables me to have several bills of different wavelengths. This is one of the reasons why photonic chips are so fast.
Meanwhile, the technology does not expect one and zeros, i.e. not digitally, but analogous. Since the size of the chips in data centers hardly plays a role, Q.ant can fall back on actually outdated manufacturing technology, which make production relatively affordable.
Sustainability meets technological independence
One of the main reasons why photonic chips consume less energy is the fact that they do not have to be cooled. In contrast to electricity, the light in the chips does not have to work against resistance, which is why there is no heat in the form of waste heat. According to Q.ant’s information, the photonic chips beat the semiconductors of companies such as Nvidia.
Instead of building new production facilities on the green meadow, the project shows how companies can reuse and modernize existing chip stakes. This is not only sustainable, but also strengthens European independence from global supply chains. Especially in times of crisis – with delivery bottlenecks or geopolitical tensions – this independence is likely to become increasingly strategically important.
Q.ant has already invested around 14 million euros in machines and systems to build the new production line. In the future, this should produce up to 1,000 wafers a year. That would be enough to test the first products for high -performance computers and to bring them to market maturity.
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The article Photonic Chips: German start-up puts Nvidia in the shadow of Felix Baumann first appeared on Basic Thinking. Follow us too Google News and Flipboard.
As a Tech Industry expert, I am extremely impressed by the advancements made by this German start-up in developing photonic chips that outperform Nvidia. Photonic chips have the potential to revolutionize the industry by enabling faster data processing and more energy-efficient computing.
This development not only showcases the innovative capabilities of the start-up but also highlights the growing importance of photonics in the tech industry. With the increasing demand for faster and more powerful computing capabilities, photonic chips have the potential to become a game-changer in the field.
It will be interesting to see how this technology continues to evolve and how it will impact the market in the coming years. This development also serves as a reminder to established tech giants like Nvidia to continue investing in research and development to stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving industry.
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