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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. The company is sharing samples with selected prospective customers and says it plans commercial products, but has not disclosed product specifications, pricing or a launch date.
PsiQuantum has unveiled an 8×8 optical circuit switching demonstration for AI data center connectivity, reporting 1.2 dB of typical insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk performance and reconfiguration in under 3 milliseconds. The company says it is sharing demonstration samples with selected prospective customers as it works toward commercial products, while continuing its fault-tolerant quantum computing program.
The demonstration uses PsiQuantum’s low-loss silicon photonics platform, which the company says it has developed for nearly a decade to support utility-scale quantum computing. The reported results come from testing in PsiQuantum’s labs. The company described them as typical performance and said they exceeded its initial targets; the source material does not provide independent test results or additional measurement conditions.
PsiQuantum says the switch operates without optical amplification. It is now providing samples to selected prospective customers and advancing the platform toward products it expects to announce in the coming months. The company has not announced customer orders, deployment sites or commercial availability dates.
The demonstration does not require barium titanate (BTO), a material PsiQuantum says it has integrated at 300mm wafer scale. The company says its quantum systems use a 64×64 BTO switch, while BTO is not part of this demonstration vehicle or the initial products it is developing. It described BTO integration as a possible route to faster, more advanced future products.
Why Optical Switching Could Help AI Networks
AI infrastructure depends on moving data among processors and other computing resources. As systems grow, network connectivity can become a scaling constraint alongside computing capacity. Optical circuit switches are designed to redirect optical connections, and could offer data center operators another way to manage links as computing workloads and network demands change.
PsiQuantum’s results are an early demonstration, not evidence of a deployed data center product or proven operational benefits at scale. The reported loss and reconfiguration figures give prospective customers a basis for evaluating the technology, but real-world performance, compatibility and cost remain unreported. The announcement also shows how a company developing technology for quantum computing is pursuing a near-term market in AI infrastructure.
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From Quantum Photonics to Data Centers
PsiQuantum says it developed its silicon photonics platform to meet demanding requirements for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The company is now applying that platform to optical switching for AI networks, while maintaining its quantum computing work. Its argument is that capabilities built for one field may also address connectivity needs in the other; that is the company’s rationale, not a reported customer outcome.
The 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 announcement does not specify how that work relates to the 8×8 demonstration or its commercial timetable.
““As AI computing pushes infrastructure to its limits, we now have an opportunity to put our state-of-the-art technology to work today while continuing toward our ultimate goal: building and deploying the world’s first useful, fault-tolerant quantum computers.””
— Victor Peng, PsiQuantum chief executive
Questions Before Commercial Deployment
The announcement leaves key commercial and technical details open. PsiQuantum has not named prospective customers, disclosed pricing or product availability, or said where the switch would be deployed. It has also not provided information about capacity beyond the 8×8 demonstration, power use, reliability over time, manufacturing volume or how the device performs in a customer’s network.
The reported measurements are from PsiQuantum’s own labs, and the company did not provide an independent evaluation or full test conditions in the supplied announcement. The meaning of the stated 40 dB crosstalk performance is not further described there. Whether the results translate into practical gains for data center operators remains unconfirmed.
Customer Samples and Product Plans
PsiQuantum says it is sharing demonstration samples with selected prospective customers and developing commercial products that it plans to announce in the coming months. Those evaluations could clarify whether the reported performance meets customer requirements, but the company has not said when testing will finish or when products might ship.
Further announcements may provide product specifications, customer or manufacturing details and evidence from deployment testing. Until then, the 8×8 device should be understood as a company-reported demonstration, rather than a commercially available data center system.
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.
What performance did PsiQuantum report?
The company reported 1.2 dB typical insertion loss, 40 dB crosstalk performance and reconfiguration in less than 3 milliseconds, based on testing in its labs and without optical amplification.
Is the switch commercially available?
No commercial availability date has been announced. PsiQuantum says it is sharing samples with selected prospective customers and plans to develop products for announcement in the coming months.
Does the demonstration use barium titanate?
No. PsiQuantum says BTO is not required for the demonstration vehicle or its initial products. It described its BTO integration as a possible path for faster, more advanced future products.
Have the reported results been independently verified?
The source announcement describes results from PsiQuantum’s lab testing. It does not cite independent verification or provide full test conditions.
Source: thequantuminsider.com
