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PsiQuantum has demonstrated an 8×8 optical circuit switch built on its silicon photonics platform, reporting 1.2 dB insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk performance and reconfiguration in under 3 milliseconds. Those figures come from company laboratory testing; commercial products are still in development, and the company has not disclosed customer deployments or independent test results.
PsiQuantum has unveiled an 8×8 optical circuit switching demonstration built on its low-loss silicon photonics platform, pitching the technology for AI data center connectivity as computing networks face growing demands. The company says its lab tests recorded 1.2 dB insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk performance and reconfiguration in less than 3 milliseconds; it is sharing demonstration samples with selected prospective customers while developing commercial products.
The device is a demonstration vehicle, not a announced commercial deployment. PsiQuantum said the test results were typical measurements from its own laboratories and were achieved without optical amplification. The company said each result exceeded its initial targets, but did not provide an independent evaluation or customer trial data in the announcement.
PsiQuantum said the switch uses a silicon photonics platform it has spent nearly a decade developing for utility-scale quantum computing. It plans to adapt that platform for optical circuit switching products aimed at data centers and said it expects to announce commercial products in the coming months. It did not name prospective customers or disclose a launch date, pricing, production capacity or performance under deployed operating conditions.
The announcement also described a separate technology path involving barium titanate (BTO). PsiQuantum said BTO integration at 300-millimeter wafer scale is part of its broader work and that its quantum systems use a 64×64 BTO switch. BTO is not part of the 8×8 demonstration vehicle or the initial products now in development, the company said.
Optical Links for Growing AI Clusters
Large AI systems rely on networks that move data between computing resources. PsiQuantum is positioning optical circuit switching as one way to address connectivity demands as those systems grow, but the announcement does not establish how its device would perform in a working data center or whether it would lower costs or energy use compared with existing approaches.
The reported figures offer an initial view of the device’s lab performance. Insertion loss describes signal power lost as light passes through the switch, while crosstalk refers to unwanted signal leakage between paths. Reconfiguration time indicates how quickly the switch can change connections. Their practical value will depend on testing in customer systems and on factors such as scale, reliability, operating requirements and integration with existing network equipment.
The development could also give PsiQuantum a commercial application for technology developed alongside its quantum-computing program. That may provide a route to customer engagement in the nearer term, while the company continues its stated focus on fault-tolerant quantum computers. Whether AI networking sales become a substantial business remains unknown.
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A Quantum Platform Enters Data Centers
PsiQuantum has built its silicon photonics work around the demanding component requirements of its quantum-computing ambitions. The company argues that advances made for that program can also be used in other optical systems. The new announcement applies the platform to optical circuit switching, which changes how optical connections are routed, rather than announcing a quantum-computing milestone.
The company’s announcement follows a September 2026 development: PsiQuantum said it had signed definitive documentation with the U.S. Department of Commerce to accelerate research and development, domestic manufacturability and performance of critical components, including optical switches. The available announcement does not specify how that arrangement relates to manufacturing the new AI-focused products.
PsiQuantum’s chief executive, Victor Peng, said the company had pursued difficult scaling requirements early in its quantum-computing roadmap and now had an opportunity to use that technology. Executive Vice President Rob Soderbery said optics would play an increasingly important role as AI infrastructure grows. These statements describe the company’s rationale and expectations; they are not independent assessments of the switch’s commercial readiness.
“This opportunity exists because we chose to solve the hardest scaling problems at the beginning of our roadmap to utility-scale quantum computing.”
— Victor Peng, PsiQuantum chief executive
Customer Tests and Product Details Pending
The disclosed performance numbers are PsiQuantum laboratory results. The announcement does not say whether outside parties have reproduced them, how they vary across devices, or how the switch performs at larger scale or over extended operation. It also does not identify the prospective customers receiving samples or say whether any have agreed to test or buy the technology.
Commercial specifications remain undisclosed. PsiQuantum has not provided a launch date beyond saying it expects to announce products in the coming months, nor has it detailed pricing, manufacturing volumes, reliability targets, power use or compatibility with data center networks. The company’s claims about potential AI infrastructure benefits therefore remain to be tested in customer deployments.
Commercial Announcements and Customer Trials
PsiQuantum says it is distributing samples to selected prospective customers and advancing the platform toward commercial products. The company’s next stated milestone is to announce products in the coming months. Those announcements, along with any customer evaluations, could clarify the switch’s specifications, intended deployment settings and manufacturing plans.
Until then, the 8×8 unit remains a demonstration backed by company-reported lab testing. Further details on independent validation, production readiness and the relationship between the data center effort and the September Commerce Department documentation have not been provided.
Key Questions
What did PsiQuantum announce?
It announced an 8×8 optical circuit switching demonstration built on its silicon photonics platform and aimed at AI data center connectivity. It is not an announcement of a customer deployment.
What performance did the company report?
PsiQuantum reported typical laboratory results of 1.2 dB insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk performance and reconfiguration in less than 3 milliseconds, without optical amplification. The figures have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
When will the switch be available?
The company said it is sharing demonstration samples with selected prospective customers and expects to announce commercial products in the coming months. It has not provided a specific release date.
Does the demonstration use barium titanate?
No. PsiQuantum said BTO is not required for the 8×8 demonstration or its initial products. The company described BTO integration as a separate capability used in its quantum systems.
Source: thequantuminsider.com
