All of a sudden, photonics seems to be one of the hottest fields among tech enthusiasts. Optical and photonics technology is massively important for AI applications that must field tremendous data throughput that exceeds the limits of traditional wiring. With photonics, data can be zipped through fiber-optic networks at far higher throughput than copper allows, with the added benefits of low latency and better energy efficiency.
Beyond its applications today, photonics may become even more important in the coming years. The reason for this is that many of the benefits that photonics technology provides to AI applications have the same value for quantum technology. For investors, an alternative to picking up pure-play quantum tech firms like IonQ Inc. (NYSE: IONQ)—even for all the many reasons these companies may appeal to those with a healthy appetite for risk—is to look at companies making photonics tools that could power next-gen quantum tech down the line.
