Q.ANT Second-Generation Photonic Processor to Power the Next Wave of AI and HPC (qant.com)

Q.ANT has unveiled its next-generation photonic processor, the Native Processing Unit 2 (NPU 2), which promises significant advancements in energy efficiency and performance for AI and high-performance computing (HPC). By leveraging nonlinear mathematics processed through light, the NPU 2 aims to power a new range of applications, including advanced robotics, computer vision, and scientific simulations. CEO Dr. Michael Förtsch emphasized that these processors can provide substantial performance gains compared to traditional digital circuits, simultaneously addressing energy consumption issues that have plagued the AI sector. The NPU 2, available as a turnkey 19-inch server solution, features an enhanced nonlinear processing core, allowing it to execute complex tasks more efficiently and accurately than conventional CPUs. Q.ANT’s technology achieves up to 30 times lower energy usage and 50 times higher performance, marking a pivotal shift away from silicon-bound limitations. The NPU 2 will be demonstrated live at Supercomputing 2025, showcasing its capabilities in real-world applications like image learning, making visual AI systems economically viable for industries such as manufacturing and logistics. With shipments slated for early 2026, Q.ANT is positioning its photonic processors as the future of AI architectures and computation efficiency.