After the Chip
Post-Silicon Computing (Photonic, Neuromorphic, DNA)
4 companies · 2 sourced backers · 26 milestones on record
This frontier explores alternatives to conventional computing hardware, including thermodynamic computing and optical data movement. The companies aim to reduce the energy needed for AI computing and make light-based connections standard in data-center hardware, with thermodynamic chips still at early stages and optical systems targeting commercial deployment at scale.
Where the 4 companies stand today, from their profiles and 10-year milestones. Tap a phase to see who is there.
- ▸Energy limits on scaling AI computing
- ▸Moving thermodynamic hardware from early demonstrations to finished products
- ▸Scaling optical interconnect production for major systems
- ▸Integrating optical data movement into standard AI hardware
Publicly listed: 1 company (owned by public shareholders).
- ›Every sourced story on all frontiers, filterable by company and news type
- ›10-year milestone records for each company: demo vs shipped
- ›Explained: plain-words readiness diagrams for real breakthroughs
- ›Signal Trends of 39 frontiers covering 378 companies over time.
- ›The events calendar: launches, approvals and deadlines ahead
- Ayar Labs
To make in-package optical interconnects a standard building block of AI data-center hardware, shipping in volume in major systems.
Trials · publicly listed
- Celestial AI
To make optical (light-based) data movement a standard part of AI computing hardware, deployed commercially at scale.
Some users · backed by AMD Ventures
- Extropic
To make AI computing dramatically more energy-efficient by commercializing thermodynamic hardware, so that energy stops being the limiting factor in scaling AI.
Lab
- Normal Computing
To reach multiple-orders-of-magnitude (targeting ~1000x) energy-efficiency gains for AI data-center silicon by scaling thermodynamic computing.
Trials · backed by Samsung Catalyst Fund
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