Let there be light! DARPA seeking physics-defying photonic computers to supercharge AI

18:34 - 06 Feb 2026

There’s about $35M up for grabs if your circuits can beat today’s limits

It's no lightweight matter. DARPA is putting about $35 million in total funding on the table in the hope that it will spur researchers to work around fundamental physical constraints and build much larger-scale photonic circuits that do more of the computing with light, not electronics....