Plate Nº 63 · recorded October 10, 2026
PhysicsReported finding
Tiny Nanolaser Could Cut Computer Energy Use in Half
A nanolaser built at DTU could let chips communicate with light, potentially halving computer energy use. Researchers say key challenges may be solved in 5-10 years.
By Marcus Bennett3 min read618 words
In brief
- DTU researchers published a nanolaser in Science Advances on September 11, 2026, that could cut computer energy use by up to half.
- Thousands of the nanolasers could fit on a single microchip, enabling light-based data transmission.
- The device uses a nanocavity to trap light beyond the conventional size limit for lasers and runs at room temperature.
- The next challenge — electrical powering — could be solved within 5-10 years, the researchers estimate.
A nanolaser built at the Technical University of Denmark could eventually let computer chips swap electrical signals for light, cutting energy consumption by as much as half while making devices faster. The research team, led by professor Jesper Mørk, published its results in the journal Science Advances on September 11, 2026.
The device is small enough that thousands of copies could fit on a single microchip. If the technology matures, computers, smartphones, and data centers could transmit data using photons — the particles that make up light — instead of pushing electrons through copper wiring.
"The nanolaser opens up the possibility of creating a new generation of components that combine high performance with minimal size," Mørk said. He pointed to two application areas in particular: information technology, where ultra-small, energy-efficient lasers could reduce the energy computers consume, and healthcare, where the laser's extreme light concentration could enable high-resolution imaging and ultrasensitive biosensors.
Why move from electricity to light?
Most long-distance internet traffic already travels as light through fiber optic cables. Inside computers, though, data still moves through electronic circuits. That approach generates heat and limits how fast information can move around a chip.
Nanolasers could change that. By generating light signals directly inside the chip, they would let data travel with very little energy loss. Future chips built around optical communication would likely need thousands of these tiny lasers working together.
Mørk estimates that switching computers to nanolaser-based communication could reduce energy use by up to 50 percent.
How did the team shrink the laser?
The researchers fabricated the device in DTU Nanolab, the university's clean room facility. According to Mørk, it pushes beyond the conventional limit for how small a laser can be made.
The key component is a structure called a nanocavity — an arrangement that traps and concentrates light within an exceptionally tiny space. Until now, physicists considered achieving such intense light confinement at this scale extremely difficult.
When the researchers shine a beam of light onto the device, photons and electrons concentrate in the same microscopic region. That interaction lets the laser operate at room temperature while drawing unusually little power.
The light-trapping structure itself builds on earlier work by Professor Ole Sigmund's group at DTU Construct. Mørk co-authored the study with Drs. Meng Xiong and Yi Yu of DTU Electro, along with colleagues including Elizaveta Semenova and Kresten Yvind.
What happens next?
The biggest remaining hurdle is making the nanolaser run on electrical power rather than an external light beam. The current device only works when researchers illuminate it, which is standard for prototype nanolasers but not practical for a commercial chip.
If the team solves that problem, the technology could spread across several fields:
- Computing and smartphones, which could deliver more performance on less electricity.
- Data centers, whose enormous power demands could drop substantially, with potential climate benefits.
- Medical technology, where concentrating light into extremely small areas could support ultrasensitive sensors and sharper imaging systems.
The researchers estimate the remaining technical challenges could be solved within 5 to 10 years.
How solid are these claims?
The energy savings and application scenarios remain projections, not measurements. The "half the energy" figure is Mørk's estimate of what mature nanolaser-based systems could achieve, not a result from the current prototype. And the timeline depends on solving the electrical-pumping problem, which the researchers themselves identify as the next major challenge.
Still, the published result represents a concrete step: a working nanolaser that breaks a long-standing size barrier and operates at room temperature with minimal energy input. For a field that has spent years trying to squeeze optical communication onto silicon, that alone marks meaningful progress.
via dtu.dk (Original)
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