Computers that use light instead of circuits to run calculations may sound like a plot point from a Star Trek episode, but researchers have been working on this novel approach to computing for years.

A key problem facing artificial intelligence (AI) development is the vast amount of energy the technology requires, with some experts projecting AI datacenters to be responsible for over 13% of global ...

CMOS-built optical phase modulators shrink laser control hardware and power use for trapped atom quantum computers, enabling larger stable qubit arrays at work. (Nanowerk News) Researchers have made a ...

In a recent study published in Nature Photonics, a research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), Columbia University, and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid developed a new ...

Researchers have developed a new optical computing material from photon avalanching nanoparticles. A research team co-led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), Columbia University, ...

Silicon-based technology brings fiber-like efficiency to a chip, showing strong potential for quantum computers, biomedical imaging and augmented realityLOS ANGELES, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ...

The (above) figure shows how light is focused into a tiny processing unit, allowing vast strings of computational information to be transferred without the use of energy-intensive circuitry. The other ...

Julian is a contributor and former staff writer at CNET. He's covered a range of topics, such as tech, crypto travel, sports and commerce. His past work has appeared at print and online publications, ...