Scientists from the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, the University of Santa Ana in Pisa, the University of Glasgow in the UK, and Stanford University in the United States have collaborated to develop a new type of photonic chip that can calculate the optimal shape of light, allowing it to pass through any environment with the best efficiency, even in unknown or time-varying environments, with the potential to be applied to the next generation of wireless systems. The relevant paper was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Photonics. Photon Chip Art Concept Image (Image Source: Polytechnic University of Milan) Light is sensitive to any form of obstacle, even small ones. For example, when people look at objects through frosted glass or foggy glasses, it becomes blurry and difficult to distinguish. This impact is similar to the beam carrying data streams in optical wireless systems: although information exists, it is completely distorted and extremely difficult to retrieve. The latest research and development of small silicon chips can serve as intelligent transceivers, working in pairs and automatically and independently calculating the shape of the beam required to pass through the environment with maximum efficiency. In addition, they can generate multiple overlapping beams with unique shapes and guide these beams without interfering with each other. Through this approach, the transmission capacity of the new chip is significantly improved, which can meet the requirements of the next generation of wireless systems. The researchers explained that this new type of chip is a mathematical processor that can use light for calculations very quickly and efficiently, with almost no energy consumption. The light beam is generated through simple algebraic operations, which directly operate on the optical signal and transmit it through a micro antenna integrated directly on the chip. This technology has many advantages: extremely easy to handle, high energy efficiency, and a bandwidth of over 5000 GHz. The research team indicates that simulation computing using optical processors has applications in multiple fields, including mathematical accelerators for neural morphology systems, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, quantum computers and cryptography, advanced positioning and sensor systems, and systems that typically require processing large amounts of data at very high speeds. (Lai Xin She)