DARPA’s Multi X Office is seeking information on first-principles development of algorithms specifically targeting execution on photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
DARPA is interested in algorithm-hardware co-design and co-development, specific to state-of-the-art photonics capabilities, that can unlock unprecedented future defence capabilities.
DARPA seeks information on the opportunity to rethink and re-develop the computational and signal processing algorithms that maximally leverage the unique strengths of processing with light while simultaneously developing the tools to compile these new algorithms to hardware PIC implementations. These tools would create a photonic compute or signal processing stack incorporating necessary levels of abstraction. The ultimate goal is to develop photonic systems demonstrating orders of magnitude improvement in bandwidth, dynamic range, noise, latency, efficiency, etc.
Respondents can address one or any of the technical areas of interest:
TA 1: Algorithms – mathematical, computational or signal processing workloads and the corresponding algorithms to solve such problems specifically leveraging on-chip processing with light; potential applications that can benefit or be made possible through chip-scale photonic signal processing or computing capability.
TA 2: Photonic Abstraction Stack – methods for compiling synthesising, optimising and verifying photonic-aware algorithms either directly to ASPIC designs or to reconfigurable (reprogrammable) photonics fabrics compatible with current manufacturing; abstraction layers that map high-level workloads, algorithms, or application descriptions; how underlying photonic computing and signal processing capabilities can be integrated into existing systems and newly developed systems that take full advantage of photonic modality at all levels of the compute stack.
TA 3: Idea Exploration – key questions that would need to be answered to make a new photonic compute stack viable; framework for answering those questions; organisational capabilities and expertise.
Responses are due 20 August 2026 via email to DARPA-SN-26-107@darpa.mil.
Document
RFI – Algorithms and Abstraction for Photonic Processing – DARPA-SN-26-107
