NSF CAREER award enables light-powered computing research
Video produced by Jeremy Blackburn and Erin Wickey (UK Research Communications).
A University of Kentucky researcher is developing electro-photonic circuits, a technology that could dramatically reduce the energy demands of computing and communication in the age of artificial intelligence.
Ishan Thakkar, the Reese S. Terry Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, recently received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. The NSF will support Thakkar with $598,325 over five years for work that’s focused on the future of computing, powered by light.
Unlike traditional chips that rely solely on electronic signals, electro-photonic circuits use light particles (photons) alongside electronics to perform computing and data transfer.
“The main advantage of using electro-photonic circuits is to actually reduce the energy consumption of computing,” Thakkar said. “Training large language models like ChatGPT requires a lot of electronic chip processing power, which consumes enormous amounts of energy and generates heat. Photonics offers a way to make this process more efficient.”
Thakkar envisions a future where photonics could replace many electronic connections.
“In the next five to 10 years, we will probably see communication using electronic wires or cables being replaced with optical wires and fibers at every scale in future data centers and GPU farms,” Thakkar said.
The project combines interactive learning for undergraduates and graduate students, as well as outreach to K-12 educators. Summer workshops will give teachers and students the opportunity to learn about photonic technology through presentations and demonstrations.
Thakkar first began to be fascinated with the study of optics and optoelectronics, technology that uses light and electricity together, when he was in high school. He says that passion still drives his research today.
“I realized that electro-photonic chips aren’t just a way to solve communication or energy challenges,” he said. “They also hold huge potential for computing, and that inspired me.”
The CAREER Award is one of the “most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization,” according to NSF.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award Number 2443677. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
