US Startup, Lightmatter Unveils New Computer Design That Solves AI’s Power-Consumption Problem

Lightmatter, a Silicon Valley Startup, has created a new computer chip that can run AI models very efficiently, using minimal power. The startup focuses on using light beams instead of electric signals to transfer data between computers. The company is reportedly valued at about $4.4 billion following a recent $850 million venture capital round.

Lightmatter is certain that it can unlock a new way of computing using light beams. The firm highlighted this concept in a study it submitted to the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday. Conventional computers use tiny transistors that look like electrical switches with on/off.

The chip industry has been frantically working to further shrink the size of transistors. Chips made with smaller transistors typically have higher processing power. The Lightmatter chip circumvents the barriers posed by chip sizes by manipulating light beams with utmost precision.

Precise computation was a problem for photonic computers. The chip would report a zero if the result of a calculation was a very small number. Lightmatter was able to resolve the problem without losing the very small numbers. It achieved this by combining very large and small numbers before transferring them through the photonic circuits.

Lightmatter CEO Nick Harris spoke to Reuters about the company’s most recent discoveries on this technology.

According to him, the chip can solve some of the present AI issues as precisely as traditional chips, but it will probably take ten years before the technology becomes widely used. “We’re exploring the potential of processors in the future and this is one of the viable options. Computers are something we care about at our core, and we should continue to push for its advancement” Harris stated. Lightmatter is working in association with GlobalFoundries.

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