Analog optical computer for AI inference and combinatorial optimization.

ABSTRACT: Artificial intelligence (AI) and combinatorial optimization drive applications across science and industry, but their increasing energy demands challenge the sustainability of digital computing. Most unconventional computing systems^1-7 target either AI or optimization workloads and rely on frequent, energy-intensive digital conversions, limiting efficiency. These systems also face application-hardware mismatches, whether handling memory-bottlenecked neural models, mapping real-world optimization problems or contending with inherent analog noise. Here we introduce an analog optical computer (AOC) that combines analog electronics and three-dimensional optics to accelerate AI inference and combinatorial optimization in a single platform. This dual-domain capability is enabled by a

SUBMITTER: Kalinin KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12422976 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature