Applications and ResearchMulti-orbit satcom operations specialist neXat has announced that it has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead a €1.5 million project to automate satellite backup for submarine fibre networks. The company will work with satellite operator Telesat and telecoms infrastructure provider Colt Technology Services Belgium to design, build and field-demonstrate an innovative […]
Applications and ResearchQuantum computing solutions provider Sparrow Quantum has reported that its deterministic photon source now delivers more than 500 million single photons per second into a single-mode fibre. According to the company, this is the highest single photon flux reported to date. The source operates at 1 GHz rate with more than 50% fibre efficiency, high […]
Applications and ResearchBusinesses are confident their networks are ready to support the high-performance connectivity needs of AI, but the data tells a different story. According to new research from DE-CIX, a survey conducted this month by Censuswide revealed that while 96% are confident that their networks are ready to support cloud and AI initiatives over the next […]
Applications and ResearchSwiss photonic chip developers Aylight has announced that it has raised €4.5m in a pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development of chip-scale multiwavelength lasers – tackling one of the key bottlenecks limiting the scaling of artificial intelligence. The funding round – co-led by Elaia and Swisscom Ventures with participation from Verve Ventures and Plug […]
Applications and ResearchUK workers are adopting AI faster than their US peers but most organisations are still not seeing the business gains AI was expected to deliver, according to new research from the Work AI Institute, a first-of-its-kind research collaborative from enterprise AI leader Glean. The Work AI Index: UK 2026, based on a survey of 6,000 full-time digital […]
Applications and ResearchA representative YouGov survey conducted in Germany commissioned by the Internet Exchange operator DE-CIX has found that more than half (56 percent) of users abandon digital applications if they have to wait even just a few seconds. The survey conducted last month found expectations are particularly high for applications using AI. 54 percent of German […]
Applications and ResearchResearchers from the Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy have flipped a long-held assumption in optics, showing that deliberately introducing controlled disorder into ultra-thin optical devices can dramatically increase their power and versatility, without making them bigger or more complex. The study reveals a new class of “disordered mosaic metasurfaces” nanostructured materials that manipulate light, capable […]
Applications and ResearchVector Photonics, a Scottish start-up pioneering the use of photonic crystal surface emitting lasers (PCSEL) in secure communications, has announced the first successful public demonstration of PCSEL technology for optical communication outside of a lab. On 31st March 2026, Vector Photonics’ PCSELs were used to transmit data across the Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre to […]
Applications and ResearchIP optical networking solutions provider Ribbon Communications and Czech Republic e-infrastructure operator CESNET have announced the successful completion of a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) proof of concept. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a method for creating and sharing encryption keys using the laws of quantum mechanics, rather than relying on mathematics. Any attempt to intercept […]
Applications and ResearchThe Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) at Trinity College Dublin have developed a new light-based technology on a tiny chip that could help make data centres behind cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and global internet services faster and more efficient. In the new research, recently published in leading international journal Nature Communications, CRANN […]
Applications and ResearchResearchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new way to package photonic integrated circuits so they can operate in some of the most extreme environments. The advance could allow photonic chip-based technologies to operate in deep-space probes, inside nuclear reactors, in ultrahigh vacuum systems, and at temperatures both near […]
Applications and ResearchSemiconductor R&D company imec has made Europe’s semiconductor ambitions become a tangible reality, following its inauguration NanoIC pilot line with the official opening of a 2,000m² cleanroom expansion at its Leuven campus. With a capacity of over 12,000m², imec’s cleanroom plays a crucial role in the European Chips Act’s ambitions to position Europe at the […]
Applications and ResearchSemiconductor equipment manufacturer Veeco and research hub imec have figured out a way to integrate barium titanate (BaTiO3 or BTO) onto standard silicon chips used for photonics, using the same large‑scale, 300mm manufacturing processes used in modern chip factories. BTO’s unique electro‑optical properties make it ideal for high‑speed, low‑power light modulation in emerging applications such […]
Applications and ResearchA team of physicists at the University of Oldenburg have discovered that nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor. The advance could pave the way for optical components that operate up to 10,000 times faster than […]
Applications and ResearchAccording to standards organisation The Broadband Forum, its new specification can help save enough energy to run 70 small data centres, by ‘powering down’ Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) when they are not in use. The estimate is based on a study conducted by Orange in 2023. The operator found that turning off the 5GHz radio […]
Applications and ResearchSemiconductor R&D company Imec has proven that advanced light‑sensing components can be manufactured directly on optical metasurfaces using standard chip‑making equipment. The breakthrough follows its successful demonstration of the integration of colloidal quantum dot photodiodes (QDPDs) on metasurfaces developed on its 300 mm CMOS pilot line at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025). […]
Applications and ResearchThe Broadband Forum has launched a new initiative to help service providers integrate AI into their networks to improve network performance, reliability, and efficiency. With AI already revolutionising how data is processed and how decisions are made across various domains, the ‘AI in Broadband Networks’ project aims to provide a high-level framework to help service […]
Applications and ResearchDespite unprecedented government and enterprise momentum around data centre development and artificial intelligence (AI), fibre remains the critical bottleneck that could slow the UK’s digital growth, a new report has found. The report, ‘Enabling the UK’s AI ambitions: why fibre is the foundation of our digital future’, released today – by connectivity provider Neos Networks […]
Applications and ResearchNokia has announced the successful end-to-end testing of Ultra Ethernet Transport (UET) traffic across its data centre switching platforms. The tests – performed in collaboration with Keysight Technologies, demonstrated the compatibility of the Nokia 7220 Interconnect Router (IXR) and 7250 IXR with Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) Specification 1.0 capabilities. The procedure tested 800 GE interfaces […]
Applications and ResearchNLM Photonics has revealed that its silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have achieved 224Gbit/s per channel data transmission in validation tests. According to the company, these results represent real-world improvements in 200G performance and pave the way for 400G in a commercially available silicon photonics platform. Testing of NLM’s SOH PICs – capable […]