The sixth edition of PSC 2026 was held over three days at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and brought together 177 attendees, including researchers, professionals, and international experts. The program addressed topics related to artificial intelligence, data centers, optical networks, computing, and quantum technologies.
One of the topics discussed was the need to improve interconnections and data management in artificial intelligence systems, as well as increase their computing capacity.
Bahram Jalali, professor emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), addressed in his presentation "Silicon Photonics: Past, Present and Future" the application of silicon photonics to connectivity and data switching in data centers.
José Capmany, professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and co-chair of PSC 2026, analyzed the evolution of integrated photonics and its incorporation into computing systems. He explained that the combination of photonic and electronic technologies leads to the development of hybrid architectures for information processing and transmission applications.
Michela Svaluto Moreolo, from the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) and co-chair of the PSC 2026 Technical Programme Committee, addressed the convergence between photonics, networks and communication systems, advanced computing and quantum technologies.
From transmission to data processing
The conference also analyzed the use of photonic technologies beyond information transmission, including their application to data processing and computing systems.
Hiroki Takesue, a distinguished senior scientist at NTT Corporation, presented the paper "Quantum Communications over Optical Fiber and Gain-Based Photonic Computing," which focuses on quantum communications over optical fiber and photonic computing.
Andrea Melloni, professor at the Politecnico di Milano, addressed in «Photonic Integrated Circuits for Signal Processing and Computing» the use of integrated photonic circuits for signal processing and computing, as well as their possible applications in data centers and artificial intelligence systems.
Radha Nagarajan, senior vice president and director of Optical Engineering Technology at Marvell, presented "Scaling AI: Optical Interconnects from Accelerators to Data Centers," a presentation dedicated to optical interconnections between computing accelerators and data centers.
Photonics, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies
The PSC 2026 program included plenary sessions, workshops, parallel sessions, and presentations of scientific papers on optical networks, computer systems, and photonic technologies applied to communications and computing.
One of the workshops, organized by David Neilson of Nokia and José Capmany of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, focused on the relationship between photonics and artificial intelligence. The sessions analyzed the use of photonic technologies in AI systems and addressed issues related to transmission capacity, processing speed, and energy consumption.
Another workshop addressed the convergence between classical and quantum communications. Organized by Michela Svaluto Moreolo of CTTC, Go Kato of NICT, and Hamed Dalir of the University of Florida, it analyzed the use of photonics integrated into communications infrastructures and data centers with quantum technologies.
PSC 2026 featured participants from Europe, America and Asia belonging to academic, research and business fields related to photonics, telecommunications and computing.
The 2026 edition was the sixth of Photonics in Switching and Computing, a conference that continues the legacy of Photonics in Switching (PS), held since 2001 in locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Its scope has since expanded to include areas related to computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies.
