Have optical computing chips reached the threshold of mass production? - 36Kr

The article clarifies the differences between optical computing, optical interconnects, and optical communication chips, noting that optical computing is best positioned to offload matrix-multiply workloads in AI inference from GPUs.

Chinese startups and research teams such as Guangben Technology, Xizhi Technology, Meike Shensi, Tsinghua University, and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, along with Lightmatter, have all shown progress.

However, most current systems still follow a hybrid electro-optical approach and remain in small-scale pilot commercialization, not mass production.

Despite its promise for easing GPU power, bandwidth, and thermal bottlenecks, optical computing still faces major hurdles in process maturity, cost, ecosystem, and supply-chain readiness.