AI models and data centers are consuming growing amounts of electricity, putting pressure on grids and climate targets. Photonics offers a pragmatic pathway to shrink that energy footprint while keeping high-performance computing on track.
AI’s Growing Energy Challenge
Training and running large AI models requires vast compute and intense data movement. Industry forecasts suggest AI-related load in data centers could double by 2030, straining electricity supply and raising carbon emissions. Current silicon-based electrical interconnects account for a large share of this energy use. Beyond direct emissions, rising cooling and power infrastructure needs increase operating costs and limit where facilities can expand.
Photonics Offers a Sustainable Path
Photonics uses light to move and process information. Integrating optical components into servers and switches lets data travel with far lower energy per bit than electrical wiring, cutting both transmission losses and heat generation. Co-packaged optics, where optical I/O sits next to compute chips, shortens electrical traces and replaces energy-hungry electrical links. That lowers power draw for communications and reduces cooling demand, producing measurable emissions savings without discarding existing chip architectures.
Europe’s Strategic Opportunity
For Europe, photonics is more than efficiency. It is a lever for industrial sovereignty and meeting emissions commitments. A coordinated push on photonics manufacturing, design talent, and supply chain resilience would reduce dependence on overseas suppliers for critical hardware. Public funding, procurement that favors low-carbon hardware, and targeted workforce training will help scale startups and anchor production within the region.
A Call for Action
To accelerate adoption, policymakers and investors should fund pilot manufacturing lines, expand R&D into co-packaged solutions, and support skills programs aligned with photonics production. Rapid, focused investment can turn photonics from laboratory promise into deployed solutions that keep AI growth compatible with Europe’s climate and industrial goals.
