Part 8/11:
While the emergence of photonic computing presents exciting prospects, hurdles remain. Photonic systems excel at linear operations but struggle with complex logic due to the inherent nature of photons which do not naturally interact. This limitation prevents photonic chips from replacing digital systems entirely, especially for tasks that require robust logical processing.
Moreover, the absence of effective storage solutions within photonic architectures presents another barrier. Without mechanisms to store intermediate results—common in current digital systems—certain computations become complex. Researchers in the field are working to explore these challenges, but for now, understanding how to integrate and enhance memory solutions remains a priority for future iterations.