The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published an article on January 12th, 2024, highlighting the potential significance of silicon photonics technology in the ongoing US-China tech war. This technology, which uses photons to transmit information instead of electrons, has garnered attention due to its potential to enhance transmission efficiency, reduce latency, and reshape the competitive landscape in semiconductors and AI between the US and China.
According to TechNews’ report, photonics technology has the potential to create large-scale computing systems with higher bandwidth and energy efficiency, potentially surpassing the physical limitations of traditional electronic chips. The Chinese government has expressed interest in photonics, viewing it as a way to bypass Western technological controls and even included it in its 14th Five-Year Plan.
Yao Yang, director of the National Development Institute at Beijing University, sees photonics as an opportunity for China to overtake the US, believing that China has the capability to lead in this emerging technology. However, Matthew Reynolds believes that photonics and electronics are more likely to coexist in a symbiotic relationship, rather than photon chips replacing electronic chips, at least not in the near future.
Silicon photonics technology has direct applications in optical interconnects, which can replace copper wiring in circuits, and in the emerging field of optical computing, where photon processors utilize light for computation. This technology holds the potential to revolutionize AI computing by speeding up information transmission and enhancing processing speeds.
The race for leadership in silicon photonics technology is evident in the activities of companies such as Lightelligence and SinTone Microelectronics in China, as well as research breakthroughs at Tsinghua University.
Matthew Reynolds highlights the challenges in the application of silicon photonics, including the need for software development to optimize performance in optical computing and the technical obstacles that must be overcome. Furthermore, he points out that the US export controls may inadvertently stimulate China to allocate more resources to emerging technologies, potentially positioning itself as a key player in the next generation of semiconductors.
While the potential of silicon photonics technology is substantial, there are various technical and competitive challenges that lie ahead, and it remains to be seen how the landscape of the US-China tech war and AI development will be shaped by these emerging advancements.
