Optical Circuit Switch Technology Built on Low-Loss Silicon Photonics Platform

PsiQuantum has demonstrated an 8×8 optical circuit switch built on the low-loss silicon photonics platform it developed for large-scale quantum computing. The switch is aimed at a growing infrastructure challenge: as AI systems expand, moving data quickly and efficiently among large pools of computing hardware is becoming a constraint. Optical connections can offer a scalable alternative for these networks. In company laboratory tests, the demonstration device typically achieved 1.2 dB insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk and reconfiguration in under 3 milliseconds, surpassing its initial targets without amplification.

The demonstration applies technology developed over nearly a decade for fault-tolerant quantum computers to AI data-center networking. PsiQuantum is sharing sample devices with selected prospective customers and says it plans to announce commercial products in the coming months. Its initial switch does not require barium titanate, a material the company has integrated at 300-mm wafer scale and uses in a larger 64×64 switch for its quantum systems; that capability could support faster, more advanced future products. The company argues that the technologies are complementary: better AI infrastructure could help develop and operate quantum computers, while photonics advances made for quantum computing can ease networking bottlenecks in AI systems. The announcement also follows a U.S. Department of Commerce agreement to support research, domestic manufacturing and performance of critical components, including optical switches.