Optical computing uses light instead of electricity to perform computations and transmit data. It offers faster speeds than electronic circuits, with terabit speeds needed for internet growth. Optical computers work by using photonic circuits and avoiding heat and short circuits. In the future, optical computing could provide faster speeds than today's machines with increased bandwidth and storage. While still years away, progress is being made in trapping light long enough to store data. In the near term, hybrid optical/electronic systems are most likely. Beyond optical is quantum computing, which is hypothetical but could store more than one bit per particle between 2030-2050. Organizations should monitor optical computing advances and identify business segments that could benefit earliest.

1. ISRC Future Technology
Briefing:
Optical Computing

2. What is the Optical
Computing Buzz About?
Consider Email
Electronic
To Photonic
Converter
.txt format Fiber optic
cables
Optical Computers perform computations, operate,
store and transmit data using only light.

3. Why Do We Need Optical
Computers?
• Rapid growth of the Internet
• Network speeds currently limited by
electronic circuits
• Terabit speeds are required
• Traditional silicon circuits have a physical
limit

4. Silicon Machines…
…versus Optical Computers

5. How Does It Work?
• Photonic circuits
• Organic compounds
• No short-circuiting possible
• No heat dissipation
• Speed of light in photonic circuits will be
close to speed of light in vacuum
• Light beams can travel in parallel
– They can transfer data in parallel.

6. Future Current
vs.
Benefits Limitations
• No conversion of data • Photonic circuit
• Faster that today’s accuracy
machines • Requirement of power
• Increased
computational power
• Optimized storage
• Increased bandwidth
• Super-fast database
searches

7. What Is the Projected
Timeline?
• Still some time in the future
– On our desktops in 15 years
• Now researchers have made progress
– Light can be trapped for long enough to
store data
– Advanced optical CD-ROMs
(Write/Read/Erase)
• In the near term, optical computers will
most likely be hybrid optical/electronic
systems.

8. What’s Beyond the Optical
Limit?
• Quantum computing
– Allows particles to be in more than one state
at a time
– Each particle in a quantum computer to hold
more than one bit of information.
• A quantum computer is, thus far, only a
hypothetical machine
– Expected between 2030 and 2050

9. What Should Your
Organization Do?
1. Participate in research activities (like ISRC
seminars  )
2. Review the status of optical computing research
about every two years
3. Compare those advances with advances in the
micro-miniaturization of traditional processors
4. Try to identify those segments of the economy
that will benefit the soonest from advances in
optical computing