Reinventing Optical Computing: Neurophos’ Breakthrough in Photonic Transistors

Optical computing has been around since the late 1980s. The idea of using light instead of electricity has always sounded promising, especially since photons are much more energy-efficient than electrons. When put to the test, though, optical transistors end up being too large to use on a chip. Enter Neurophos, a photonics startup that’s found a way to shrink the optical transistor down by 10,000X.

Not only has the Neurophos team made optical transistors extremely small, they’ve also made them 100X higher in compute density and energy efficiency than today’s best GPUs. They’ve effectively compressed one entire rack into the size and power draw of a single GPU. Neurophos aims to deliver a commercially viable product by 2028.

To achieve this breakthrough, the Neurophos team turned to Cadence to support its next-generation photonic chip design. By leveraging a suite of industry-leading tools, they were able to open doors previously closed to silicon photonics teams.

With the help of Cadence’s Virtuoso Studio, Neurophos was able to design and verify complex photonic components, as well as handle the slotting and filling that’s needed. The Cadence EMX Planar 3D Solver is able to simulate large, multi-port layouts with high accuracy, capturing common-mode effects and intricate electromagnetic behaviors that traditional photonics struggle with.

Neurophos also uses Cadence’s Spectre RF Option to simulate both the small-signal and large-signal responses of its devices. As with any high-performance IC, reliable power delivery is essential. Neurophos employs Cadence Quantus Extraction to extract, analyze, and optimize the power distribution network, ensuring first‑pass success even at aggressive performance targets.

This level of insight is essential when pushing the boundaries of silicon photonics design, and together, Neurophos and Cadence are accelerating the future of computing. Learn more about how Neurophos is reinventing optical computing with the help of Cadence tools.

“Designed with Cadence” is a series of videos that showcases creative products and technologies that are accelerating industry innovation using Cadence tools and solutions. For more Designed with Cadence videos, check out the Cadence website and YouTube channel.