Florida engineers test photonic AI chips in space

In a groundbreaking milestone for space-enabled semiconductor research, the University of Florida, in collaboration with NASA, MIT, Vanguard Automation, AIM Photonics and Germany’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, launched a suite of photonic AI chips to the International Space Station aboard JAXA’s HTV-XI spacecraft this weekend.

The mission is part of NASA’s MISSE, or Materials International Space Station Experiment, which tests how materials and devices perform when exposed to the harsh environment of low Earth orbit.

UF’s contribution focuses on testing the resilience and performance of next-generation photonic semiconductor technologies in space, a step toward developing faster, more efficient computing systems capable of withstanding extreme conditions.

“This mission represents a first-of-its-kind validation of photonic computing in space,” said Volker J. Sorger, Ph.D., the Rhines endowed professor for semiconductor photonics in UF’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and deputy director of UF’s Florida Semiconductor Institute. “By testing our photonic AI hardware on the ISS and during the launch, we’re laying the foundation for future high-performance, radiation-hardened computing systems — critical for deep space exploration and satellite autonomy.”

The UF-designed chips will be exposed to space radiation and atomic oxygen to see how well they maintain performance. The experiment will help scientists understand how photonic technologies can be used in future satellite communication systems, autonomous spacecraft and advanced sensing technologies.

The prototypes were developed at UF’s Nanoscale Research Facility in partnership with Vanguard Automation, AIM Photonics and Fraunhofer HHI. Results from the mission will guide the design of more durable, energy-efficient computing systems for space and defense applications.