This week we are diving deep into a revolution happening at the speed of light: the rise of photonic technology! My special guest is Dr. Abdul Rahim from PhotonDelta. Abdul and I discuss how photonic chips can address the energy efficiency demands posed by the current and projected growth of AI workloads, the role that standards will play in the next wave of hardware innovation, and key technical challenges currently involved in reliably and cost-effectively integrating photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) with existing CMOS technology.
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Transcript
Hello everyone, and welcome to Episode 669 of the electronic engineering podcast Amelia’s Weekly Fish Fry, brought to you by EEJournal.com and written, produced, and hosted by me, Amelia Dalton.
This week, we’re diving deep into a revolution happening at the speed of light—the rise of photonic technology. My guest is Dr. Abdul Rahim from PhotonDelta. Abdul and I discuss how photonic chips can address the energy-efficiency demands posed by current and projected AI workloads, the role standards will play in the next wave of hardware innovation, and the key technical challenges involved in reliably and cost-effectively integrating photonic integrated circuits with existing CMOS technology.
So without further ado, please welcome Abdul to Fish Fry.
Amelia: Hi Abdul, thank you so much for joining me.
Abdul: It’s my pleasure.
Amelia: Excellent. First off, tell me about PhotonDelta and your experience in this field.
Abdul: PhotonDelta is a unique public-private partnership supported by the Dutch government. Our mission is to develop a vibrant photonic integrated circuit (PIC) ecosystem in the Netherlands that collaborates globally to make PIC technology pervasive. In essence, we’re building an industry around integrated photonics.
We support this mission in several ways: funding R&D, supporting startups and talent development, and—most importantly—connecting stakeholders across our ecosystem and the broader world to collaborate on new solutions and tackle the most challenging problems facing the industry.
As for my background, I completed my PhD in integrated photonics and have been fortunate to work with leading research groups exploring diverse applications of this technology. Over time, my role broadened from narrow technical research to tracking how the field is evolving, where it’s headed, and which use cases offer the most impact. Today, as an ecosystem manager at PhotonDelta, I work with around 70 partners to foster collaboration, innovation, and opportunity across the ecosystem.
Amelia: How are photonic chips addressing the energy-efficiency demands created by the rapid growth of AI workloads?
Abdul: AI is currently the primary driver for chip technology—both microelectronics and photonics. One major concern is the enormous energy demand of AI data centers, which in some cases rival that of small countries.
If we break down data-center energy use, there are three main contributors:
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Computation, storage, and processing of data
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Infrastructure and cooling systems
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Data movement across networks—between GPUs, memory, and even between data centers
Photonic chips are especially powerful in reducing the energy required for data movement. While data centers operate at megawatt scales, optical interconnects move bits using femtojoules per bit, dramatically improving efficiency. This means more energy can be devoted to actual AI computation rather than cooling or communication—improving economics and reducing environmental impact.
Amelia: What are the most critical efforts underway to standardize photonic platforms, and how will standards accelerate hardware innovation?
Abdul: Early standardization happened within individual foundries, where they defined materials, cross-sections, and process modules so fabless companies could design chips on stable platforms.
The next phase is standardization across the entire value chain—from design tools and PDKs to manufacturing, packaging, and assembly. This requires a shared “language” so data flows seamlessly from design to finished product.
There’s also application-level alignment, where stakeholders agree on common specifications even if implementation differs.
These forms of standardization lower barriers to entry, reduce costs, and allow more companies to innovate—ultimately accelerating hardware development.
Amelia: What types of partnerships will be most vital for shaping the future of photonic hardware?
Abdul: Two main types:
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Pre-competitive collaborations to solve fundamental technical challenges efficiently
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Cross-industry partnerships to build real-world systems, since photonics solutions often require electronics, materials science, sensing technologies, and more
Because photonics applications span everything from AI data centers to smart agriculture and biosensing, multidisciplinary collaboration is essential.
Amelia: What are the key technical challenges in integrating photonic ICs with CMOS?
Abdul: CMOS has achieved extraordinary maturity in reliability, yield, and density. Photonics must match that manufacturing excellence while also addressing:
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First-time-right design
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Co-packaging and co-integration of photonics with electronics
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Functional yield at high integration density
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Laser integration and heterogeneous material integration
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Chiplet architectures and advanced packaging
Standardized interfaces will be critical for bringing these technologies together effectively.
Amelia: Beyond technical hurdles, what strategic challenges must the industry overcome for widespread adoption?
Abdul: Integrated photonics has existed since the 1950s and 60s, but it isn’t widely recognized by the public. Building a strong global brand for integrated photonics is essential so people understand its impact on daily life and business.
Greater awareness will also help policymakers, investors, and funding bodies support the technology’s growth. The photonics community must take responsibility for telling this story.
Amelia: Time for your off-the-cuff question. If you could have any meal right now, what would it be?
Abdul: Not the healthiest choice—but I’d go for Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s been a long time!
Amelia: That’s the first KFC answer I’ve had—but hey, they do make good chicken. I’m not mad at that!
Well folks, that’s all I’ve got for this week’s Fish Fry. For more information about PhotonDelta, check out the links on this episode’s page at EEJournal.com and in the YouTube description.
Be sure to follow EEJournal on social media—Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, and YouTube, where you’ll find tons of tech content including Chalk Talk and Libby’s Lab.
Thanks for tuning in. If you’ve got cool new technology to share—or just want to chat—email me at Amelia@eejournal.com or post in the EEJournal forums.
For the week of February 13, 2026, I’m Amelia Dalton, and you’ve been fried.
