Breakthrough optical processor lets AI compute at the speed of light

Science DailyCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete October 28, 2025 at 02:14 PM

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Researchers at Tsinghua University led by Professor Hongwei Chen developed an Optical Feature Extraction Engine (OFE2), a breakthrough optical processor detailed in Advanced Photonics Nexus. OFE2 uses light for high-speed data processing, addressing limitations of conventional digital processors which struggle with latency and throughput in data-heavy applications. The device's key innovation is its integrated on-chip system that stabilizes phase stability while converting serial data into synchronized optical channels. This allows for efficient feature extraction through a diffraction operator, performing complex calculations similar to matrix-vector multiplication. OFE2 demonstrates potential for real-world applications requiring rapid and energy-efficient computation.

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Tsinghua University ×2100% Professor Hongwei Chen 100%

Keywords

optical computing 90% artificial intelligence 80% feature extraction 70% optical diffraction operators 70% light speed computing 60% ofe2 60% phase stability 60% data processing 50% high-speed applications 50% tsinghua university 40%

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optical computing artificial intelligence feature extraction optical diffraction operators light speed computing ofe2 phase stability data processing high-speed applications tsinghua university

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