Harnessing the Light
To meet the ever-increasing computational and energy demands in the age of artificial intelligence, the University of Pittsburgh’s Nathan Youngblood is harnessing light to revolutionize how computer systems process, store, and transmit data.
For his important contributions to the field of optical computing (also known as photonic computing), Youngblood has received a prestigious Friedrich Wilhem Bessel Research Award from Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The €60,000 award, given to approximately 20 renowned academics each year, recognizes individuals whose research is making a lasting impact in their discipline and beyond.
“Today, the massive increase in the use of AI requires more efficient, scalable systems,” said Youngblood, associate professor in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “There’s an urgent need to efficiently process more data, more quickly.”
Traditional computer systems use electrical circuits and separate the central processing unit (CPU) and the memory (RAM), so data must travel between the two to complete functions, creating bottlenecks and slowing down processing.
Researchers like Youngblood are developing novel photonic circuits that allow data to be processed directly where it is stored in memory. “There are physical mechanisms we can use so the system can process data closer to memory or even in the memory cell itself,” said Youngblood, who also directs the Youngblood Photonics Lab at Pitt.
“We’re doing this in the optical domain,” he added, “using light beams to transfer information. Light travels more efficiently than electrons at high speeds since optical fibers don’t need to be charged and discharged like metal wires. And because light waves can pass through themselves without interference, it’s possible to send multiple streams of data at different wavelengths, improving scalability.”
While the technology is emerging, Youngblood has already helped develop a promising new method for photonic in-memory computing and among many awards has received a $552,166 Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation and a $449,240 award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to advance these systems.
“Nathan continues to make remarkable advances in the field of photonic computing,” said Alan George, Department Chair, R&H Mickle Endowed Chair, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and SHREC founder. “That he has received this prestigious recognition from Germany speaks to his exceptional research and the important collaborations that he is forging between the University of Pittsburgh and institutions overseas.”
“I’m honored to receive this support and recognition from the Humboldt Foundation,” said Youngblood, who recently returned from a sabbatical in Germany, where he was hosted by the physics department at Heidelberg University. Youngblood worked with the celebrated experimental physicist Professor Wolfram Pernice, who last year received Germany’s most important research award, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.
“Advancing this technology requires close collaboration with researchers in fields like physics, electronics, optical communications, and materials science,” he added. “I’m grateful to have this opportunity to build upon the relationships I’ve made overseas and continue this exciting research.”