Stuttgart-based Q.ANT has shipped a commercial light-based processor for AI and HPC. Built on thin-film lithium niobate, it does the maths natively in the optic
A new photonic processor from Stuttgart-based Q.ANT promises significant energy efficiency gains for AI and HPC workloads, performing calculations natively in the optical domain. This co-processor, built on thin-film lithium niobate, offers up to 30x the energy efficiency of traditional chips and is already deployed in major European supercomputing centers. Separately, an AI agent on a Mastodon server detected a cryptominer disguised as a system helper, highlighting the security risks of unauthenticated AI tools. AI
IMPACT New photonic processors could drastically cut AI compute costs, while security incidents highlight the need for robust authentication of AI tools.