Imagine replacing a hundred separate flashlights with one super-lamp that can project a hundred different colors of light simultaneously. This project creates a tiny chip that does exactly that with lasers to move massive amounts of data. It stops data centers from needing huge banks of power-hungry lasers, making the whole internet run cooler and faster.
Data centers face a crisis where increasing bandwidth via traditional single-channel lasers is too energy-intensive and bulky. This threatens EU climate goals as data centers could consume 20% of Europe's energy by 2030.
A scalable photonic chip engine using optical frequency combs and micro-transfer printing to replace hundreds of individual lasers.
If you are a data center operator dealing with skyrocketing energy costs and bandwidth bottlenecks — this project developed a microcomb photonic engine that replaces 100s of individual lasers with one compact system. This reduces energy consumption while meeting the demands of AI and social media growth.
If you are a hardware manufacturer dealing with the difficulty of integrating many lasers onto a single board — this project developed a micro-transfer printing solution for scalable heterogeneous integration. This allows for the mass production of high-capacity photonic chips on a wafer scale.
If you are a computing company dealing with the need for highly coherent multi-channel light sources for next-gen processing — this project developed a scalable photonic chip engine. This provides the necessary stability and power for high-speed photonic computing applications.
Based on available project data, specific pricing for the M-ENGINE module is not provided, though it is designed to replace 100s of individual lasers to reduce overall energy and hardware costs.
Yes, the project utilizes X-Celeprint's micro-transfer printing for scalable heterogeneous integration and Eblana photonics' lasers transformed for wafer-scale printing.
Based on available project data, the IP is developed by a consortium including Enlightra, X-Celeprint, and Eblana photonics, but specific licensing terms are not disclosed.
The consortium aims to create a viable solution within 5 years to capture a market expected to be valued at €14Bn.
The system is designed as a scalable photonic chip engine that replaces existing banks of single-channel lasers used in data center connections.
The consortium is highly balanced for commercialization, featuring a 50% industry ratio with 3 industrial partners (including 2 SMEs) and 3 research/academic partners. This structure combines deep theoretical expertise from DESY and ICB with the manufacturing capabilities of X-Celeprint and Enlightra, while using Dublin City University as an independent validator for telecom performance.
Contact the research office at Dublin City University
Contact us to connect with the M-Engine consortium for pilot project opportunities.
