Industry insight: photonics to scale AI data centers

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and its high-performance demands on computational systems have significantly impacted modern data center infrastructure. Conventional scaling strategies are approaching physical and economic limits, necessitating innovations in system-level design and networking technologies. Photonics has emerged as a transformative solution, offering unparalleled bandwidth, energy efficiency, and scalability across multiple layers of data center architecture. This paper explores the adoption of photonic technologies, including co-packaged optics (CPO), optical circuit switches (OCS), and silicon photonics in general, to address critical challenges in interconnect bandwidth, latency, and power consumption. By analyzing their integration at the package, rack, and network levels, we highlight how photonics can overcome the limitations of traditional electronic solutions, paving the way for the next generation of AI infrastructure.