Project description
Scalable photonic solutions for AI systems
Future AI hardware development lies in harnessing light. Unlike traditional electronic processors that struggle with energy efficiency and bandwidth limitations, photonic integrated circuits use light to process information, offering higher speeds and reduced energy consumption. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CoMiPCE project aims to develop a photonic convolution engine on silicon. The system will integrate advanced photonic technologies, including microcombs for generating high-bandwidth light, programmable spectral shapers for encoding weights, ultrafast modulators for data processing and waveguides for efficient signal delay and amplification. These components will be combined through hybrid and heterogeneous integration. This innovative approach will offer unparalleled scalability and performance, paving the way for next-generation AI systems that overcome the limitations of traditional electronics.
Objective
With rapid advances of artificial intelligence (AI), conventional electronic processors are constrained by bandwidth and energy efficiency in the post-Moore era, increasingly struggle to serve large-scale, high-concurrency AI tasks within the existing von Neumann-based framework. Leveraging the inherently high bandwidth, multiple dimensions, low latency, and superior energy-efficiency of light, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), on the other hand, are promising to provide a compelling pathway for advanced AI models. To achieve this goal, the main objective of the CoMiPCE research action is to realize a fully integrated photonic convolution engine (PCE) on a scalable silicon platform by combining best‑in‑class devices and processes through hybrid and heterogeneous integration. The CoMiPCE heterogeneously integrates a diverse set of photonic devices on silicon substrates, and co-integrates them with silicon PICs through hybrid packaging to build a fully integrated PCE system, targeting remarkable throughput and energy-efficiency for AI workloads, in which the convolution operator is implemented via composite time-phase-frequency-polarization encoding based on high-speed coherent microcomb modulation. The CoMiPCE addresses the bandwidth and energy efficiency of electronic accelerators by consolidating hybrid integrated silicon nitride self-injection-locking (SIL) microcomb, programmable silicon nitride weight spectral shaping, ultrafast coherent heterogeneous lithium tantalate modulation, erbium-doped silicon nitride waveguide dispersive delay with amplification, as well as coherent silicon PIC accumulation detection, into the full-chain hybrid integrated system. Collectively, the CoMiPCE will introduce coherent SIL microcomb source, hyper-dimensional encoding, high-speed analog computation, to deliver a fully integrated, highly parallel and scalable PCE for next‑generation energy-efficient AI hardware.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
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