Light-based chips improve mobile communications
Imagine downloading videos, making video calls, or browsing the mobile internet at speeds never before seen and with much lower energy consumption. This is what the new chip developed by a research team at the University of Malaga (UMA), in collaboration with Vodafone and the Photonics and Radiofrequency Research Lab, part of the Telecommunications Research Institute (TELMA) in Germany, could make a reality.
The key lies in integrated photonics, a technology that allows light to be used as a means of communication within the chip’s own circuitry. This not only reduces size and energy consumption, but also increases speed and efficiency in handling large volumes of information, which is essential for future mobile networks, such as 6G. In other words: more speed, less energy, and smaller devices.
This collaboration is part of the associated project awarded to Vodafone within the framework of the European Commission’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program, with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism. This breakthrough demonstrates how university research, in collaboration with technology companies, can transform the way we communicate. A good example of innovation serving society, in its own right.
