Researcher say a new experimental optical chip runs on light and is two orders of magnitude faster and more efficient than Nvidia's A100 GPU.

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Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University developed LightGen, an experimental optical chip that uses light instead of electricity for AI processing. The chip demonstrates 100x faster speeds and energy efficiency compared to Nvidia's A100 GPU on image and video generation tasks. LightGen integrates over 2 million artificial neurons using 3D packaging and introduces an optical latent space that processes images up to 512x512 pixels without breaking them into patches. While the chip shows promising results for addressing AI's growing energy demands, it still relies on bulky laboratory equipment and specialized manufacturing processes before commercial viability.

This Light-Powered AI Chip Is 100x Faster Than a Top Nvidia GPU