Core Insights - The development of photonic chips is seen as a significant breakthrough in overcoming Moore's Law, with global investments aimed at practical applications [1] - A team led by Professor Wang Cheng has created a microwave photonic chip that processes electronic signals at speeds 1000 times faster than traditional processors, with lower energy consumption [1][2] - The establishment of a startup, Xili Photonics Technology, indicates that the technology is moving closer to practical application, having secured multi-million funding [2] Group 1: Technological Advancements - The new microwave photonic chip utilizes a lithium niobate platform, enhancing system stability and cost-effectiveness [2] - The chip's capabilities include ultra-fast simulation of electronic signal processing and high precision in calculations [1][2] - The research focuses on integrating more complex functions into photonic chips to facilitate real-world applications [2][3] Group 2: Market and Industry Context - Despite a decline in market enthusiasm for financing, government support for hard technology remains strong, which may benefit the development of foundational technologies in China [2] - The shift towards optical interconnects in data centers is driven by the increasing demands of AI models, replacing traditional copper cables with fiber optics [7][8] - The concept of "optical interconnect" is becoming more prevalent, with fiber optics being used for both long-distance and short-distance data transmission [7] Group 3: Future Directions and Applications - The focus is on achieving higher levels of photonic system integration, with plans to explore applications in radar, microwave signal processing, and spectrum sensing [5][6] - The company aims to develop a high-performance integrated photonic chip platform, with potential applications in autonomous driving and 6G communication [11][12] - The integration of multiple devices on a single chip is a key goal, allowing for complex functionalities previously requiring larger systems [9][10]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights significant innovations and advancements in the field of photonic integrated chips by the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, particularly in 2024, showcasing their contributions to basic research and technology development in quantum communication and optical interconnects [1][2]. Group 1: Photonic Integrated Chips - The Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics has made notable progress in the field of integrated optical frequency combs, collaborating with teams from the University of Science and Technology of China and the National University of Defense Technology to achieve a "fully identical" microcavity soliton optical frequency comb with 50 channels meeting the ITU frequency spacing standard of 50GHz, laying the groundwork for scalable quantum communication systems [2]. - The research results were published in *Science Advances* and were featured as a highlight of the issue [3]. Group 2: Silicon-based Optical Interconnects - The research team successfully developed the world's first single-port silicon-based optical interconnect chip with a rate of 2Tbps and a bandwidth density of 4Tbps/mm, marking a significant enhancement in interconnect capabilities and providing a domestic solution for applications in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and data centers [5]. - This chip integrates high-performance micro-ring modulators and avalanche photodetectors, overcoming common challenges of high bandwidth, low power consumption, and high reliability [7]. - The development process involved a complete technical chain from theoretical modeling to chip integration, significantly improving device performance and enabling effective support for enhanced computing power in AI applications [7]. Group 3: Metasurface Chips - A generalized theory for polarization optical phase control of metasurfaces was proposed, expanding the theoretical boundaries of polarization control and leading to the development of a quantum state tomography polarization multiplexing metasurface chip [8]. - The research team collaborated with Nanjing University to create a framework that allows independent control of arbitrary polarization states across multiple channels, opening new avenues for multifunctional photonic device development [8]. - Additionally, a metasurface capable of generalized measurement of quantum states was designed, which simplifies the experimental complexity of multi-photon entanglement measurement and enhances the efficiency of quantum state reconstruction [11].