Photonic XPU is now running DOOM

Berlin startup Akhetonics has demonstrated the game DOOM running on its proprietary photon processor, the XPU. The company is developing the first fully optical general‑purpose CPU that performs calculations using light instead of electrons. Photonic processors route photons through waveguides, eliminating heat generation and material resistance that limit electronic chips. The key problem is creating an optical transistor that one light beam controls. Another issue is nonlinear Kerr effects in two‑dimensional materials. The XPU can operate in the terahertz range, potentially 1,000 times faster than gigahertz electronic processors, while consuming 10-100 times less power than current GPUs and TPUs. Production is possible on existing 90-250 nm fabrication lines, avoiding the need for expensive 3 nm lithography and keeping manufacturing in Europe. The architecture fuses digital, analog, and quantum computing on a single photonic platform: the same chip can execute classical logic, perform analog AI operations, and carry out quantum calculations. Prototype units for corporate customers are slated for release in 2026. Historically, photon‑photon non‑interactivity and the difficulty of building optical memory slowed progress. Akhetonics overcomes this with 2D and indium phosphide materials, RWORM memory for static data, and a custom AtetDesigner tool that replaces von Neumann with a functional design better suited to light. Read more on www.akhetonics.com.