Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), working with IBM Research Europe, have developed an ultra-broadband amplifier that, they say, could power future optical systems — delivering the high performance required for artificial intelligence (AI). Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), working with IBM Research Europe, have developed an ultra-broadband amplifier that, they say, could power future optical systems — delivering the high performance required for artificial intelligence (AI). Due to the high Kerr nonlinearity of gallium phosphide, its high refractive index, and its negligible two-photon absorption, extremely efficient optical parametric amplification and frequency conversion over S, C, and L optical communication bands are achieved using this chip. Credit: Nikolai. In a groundbreaking advancement for optical telecommunications, researchers have unveiled a compact, ultra-broadband optical parametric amplifier (OPA) using gallium phosphide (GaP) on silicon dioxide. This breakthrough could reshape data center interconnects, AI accelerators, and high-performance computing. It is essentially like a fiber-coupled laser diode where the end mirrors have been replaced by anti-reflection coatings; a tilted waveguide can be used to further reduce the end reflectivities.