The University of Cambridge has been selected as one of two UK institutions in PIXEurope, a prestigious European consortium of 20 research organisations aimed at advancing photonic chip technology. Unlike traditional electronic chips, photonic chips use light to deliver faster, more energy-efficient performance.
Leading this effort at Cambridge is the Cambridge Graphene Centre, which will focus on integrating graphene and related materials into photonic circuits for applications such as high-speed communications and quantum devices. Professor Andrea C. Ferrari, Director of the Centre, remarked, “These ground-breaking photonic research prototypes may lead to life-changing products and services, with huge economic benefits for the UK and the world.”
The consortium is coordinated by Spain’s Institute of Photonic Sciences and backed by €380M in EU funding, including the Chips Joint Undertaking (JU). The UK’s participation is supported by £4.2M from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, matched by Horizon Europe funding.
This initiative will establish a cutting-edge pilot line to accelerate the development of photonic technologies for industries such as AI, healthcare, renewable energy, and quantum computing, addressing urgent global challenges like energy efficiency.
The global photonics market is expected to exceed €1,500 billion by 2030. UK Science Minister Lord Vallance praised the initiative, stating, “My congratulations to Cornerstone and the Cambridge Graphene Centre on being selected to pioneer the new pilot line – taking a central role in driving semiconductor innovation to the next level, encouraging adoption of new technologies. The UK laid the foundations of silicon photonics in the 1990s, and by pooling our expertise with partners across Europe we can address urgent global challenges including energy consumption and efficiency.”
Cambridge is proud to partner with the Cornerstone Photonics Innovation Centre at the University of Southampton and its European collaborators in this transformative project.