JQI Researchers Win UMD's Quantum Technology Invention of the Year

A team of JQI researchers has won the quantum category of the University of Maryland's annual Invention of the Year competition for their submission dubbed the Topological Photonics Architecture for Optical Computing and Artificial Intelligence (TOPAI). The award recognizes TOPAI as a promising new platform for photonic computing that could have applications to artificial intelligence.

JQI Fellow Mohammad Hafezi, who is a Minta Martin Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and also a professor in the Department of Physics, was a member of the team, which also included former JQI postdoc Mahmoud Mehrabad, who is now at MIT, JQI postdoc Zhi-Yuan Wei, and JQI graduate students Lida Xu and Supratik Sarkar.

TOPAI addresses growing challenges facing conventional computing systems, particularly in the age of AI. Existing approaches consume large amounts of electricity, generate significant heat and become increasingly difficult to scale as demand for computing power rises. Instead of relying on electronic signals, the technology processes information using light.

The platform uses specially engineered photonic structures that guide light in stable and resilient ways. This field, known as topological photonics, was pioneered by Hafezi more than 15 years ago. Now, researchers say the system can carry out AI operations such as matrix multiplication and convolution directly with photons while reducing sensitivity to noise, fabrication imperfections and thermal fluctuations.

Like a train constrained to its tracks, TOPAI’s topological photonic states are designed to keep information moving reliably even as computing networks become more complex. The researchers say the approach could support faster, more energy-efficient AI infrastructure and high-performance computing systems.

The invention combines engineered photonic lattices and waveguide networks that support robust light transport and programmable optical pathways. According to the team, the architecture is compatible with existing silicon photonics and CMOS manufacturing platforms, potentially simplifying large-scale adoption.

Conventional photonic computing systems have historically faced challenges involving instability and scalability, while electronic AI accelerators continue to encounter power and bandwidth limitations. The researchers say TOPAI helps bridge that gap by creating scalable, modular photonic circuits capable of supporting AI and optical computing workflows without extensive electronic correction systems.

Innovate Maryland, which hosted the Invention of the Year awards ceremony on May 12, 2026, annually highlights inventions and startup activity emerging from UMD laboratories, with a focus on technologies that demonstrate commercial and societal potential.

This article was originally published by the UMIACS Communications Group and adapted here with permission.