PIXEurope
PIXEurope is a new ambitious Pilot Line initiative that has been launched by the European Commission, through the Chips Joint Undertaking, to accelerate the development of photonic chip technology—an essential component in the future of high-speed computing, communications, and quantum information systems, among others. The pilot line aims to work on the design and establish an optimized prototyping chain (that includes design, fabrication, integration, testing and reliability)in search of accelerating product development and scalable manufacturability.
During 10 years and with a budget of ~400M€, 20 partnering entities from 11 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) will have the ultimate goal of creating a unique European PIC ecosystem, with open access services to the end-user, establishing itself as the first fully integrated PIC pilot line in the world.
Website: https://pixeurope.eu/
RIGOLETTO
(EngIneeRInG photOnic devices and systems towards a green opticaL nETwork infrasTructure fOr 6G)
RIGOLETTO (EngIneeRInG photOnic devices and systems towards a green opticaL nETwork infrasTructure fOr 6G) aims at the design, prototyping, and demonstration of an end-to-end optical transport network, with an innovative focus on the optical network segments that will support the future 6G infrastructure, in particular:
- At the device level, the development of new enabling technologies and materials for photonic integrated circuits, targeting the design and fabrication of low-energy integrated devices for transmission and switching;
- At the data-plane level, transmission systems based on space-division multiplexing (SDM) and secured by quantum key distribution (QKD), including seamless integration with Light Fidelity (LiFi) access;
- Validation of the physical layer of the optical communication infrastructure through the creation of a digital twin representing the disaggregated optical network, enabled by accurate modeling of impairments;
- Seamless SDN control based on optical-layer abstraction and pervasive telemetry data collection, feeding AI/ML algorithms to achieve a sustainable zero-touch optical network.
The results of the research and development activities will be showcased through final prototype validation and field demonstrations, involving both vendors and network operators.
RIGOLETTO is part of Spoke 1 – Pervasive and Photonic Network Technologies and Infrastructures of the Italian ReStart program.
Website: https://fondazione-restart.it/it/progetti/s4-rigoletto/
HePIC
(Hetereogeneous Photonic Integration platform for future telecommunications)
HePIC aims to support the device layer of programmable optical networks and the flexible WDM and SDM transmission layer, with a particular focus on high–energy-efficiency photonic hardware accelerators for advanced signal processing in classical and quantum communications.
The objectives of the project are:
- Development of integrated photonic subsystems assembled through hybrid and heterogeneous photonic–electronic integration
- Coordination of shared access to multi-wafer runs and provision of PIC design support
- Implementation of demonstrators involving other project partners
HePIC is part of Spoke 1 – Pervasive and Photonic Network Technologies and Infrastructures of the Italian ReStart program.