Speaker: Leonardo Del Bino, Co-founder and CTO Akhetonics
Date and time: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CEST
Location: (hybrid): RRZE, Martensstr. 1, Seminar Room 2.049 and Zoom: https://go-nhr.de/perflab-seminar
Abstract:
When considering optical computing, many people might think about the analog vector matrix multiplication, neuromorphic neural networks, reservoir computing or even quantum computing. At Akhetonics we have a different approach to optical computing: Rather than accelerating linear algebra, we implement fully programmable logic in integrated photonics. And that requires making the photonic circuits behave digitally.
This talk explores where digital photonics could accelerate high-performance computing. We discuss the advantages like sub-nanosecond memory latency, high compute-to-memory ratio efficiency, and unique power characteristics, but also the limitations: Memory is scarce, and not every problem benefits from our architecture. Our sweet spot is algorithms where latency matters and data rate is high but there is no need to store large amounts of data. SAT solving, constraint satisfaction, image recognition, and specialized search algorithms are early candidates. We will explain our compiler pipeline (GLSL -> SPIR-V -> photonic ISA), our simulator for experimentation, and how researchers can collaborate with us to find use cases we have not yet imagined.
We aim to understand where this technology is a breakthrough in HPC. The talk is an opportunity to experiment with photonic computing and fathom opportunities for improvement.
Short Bio:
Leonardo Del Bino holds a PhD in applied photonics and is co-founder and CTO of Akhetonics, where he works on nonlinear-optical digital logic and photonic integration. He is responsible for the company’s technical roadmap, from waveguide-level device design through foundry and packaging strategy, touching the compiler and system software stack. Before founding Akhetonics, he started out in Florence on quantum simulators, he worked at the National Physical Laboratory and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, where he invented all-optical memories and logic gates and developed fabrication processes for low-loss silica and silicon nitride devices.
For a list of past and upcoming NHR PerfLab seminar events, please see: https://hpc.fau.de/research/nhr-perflab-seminar-series/