What happened
- PsiQuantum unveiled its optical circuit switching (OCS) technology on 28 October 2026, a device that routes light between fibres without converting it into an electrical signal.
- The first disclosed model is an 8x8-port demonstration vehicle built on the low-loss silicon photonics platform the company has been developing for nearly a decade for its quantum computer.
- In the company’s own lab tests, the switch showed typical insertion loss of 1.2 dB, crosstalk of 40 dB and reconfiguration time under 3 milliseconds, without optical amplification.
- PsiQuantum is sending samples to selected prospective buyers and will announce commercial products in the coming months, according to the release.
Why it matters
- It is the first time the company offers a product derived from its quantum work before it has a fault-tolerant quantum computer in operation.
- Data centres that train AI models move growing volumes of data between thousands of processors. Optical switching cuts conversions between light and electricity, which use energy and add delay.
- PsiQuantum argues that its quantum computer’s requirements exceed many of those a data centre switch demands, so its platform arrives with margin to spare.
The number
1.2 dB. That is the typical insertion loss measured in the prototype, with no need to amplify the signal, according to the company.
Context
PsiQuantum is building a quantum computer based on photons as qubits and standard semiconductor manufacturing processes. It has also integrated barium titanate (BTO) on 300-millimetre wafers and uses a 64x64 BTO switch in its quantum systems. That material is not needed for the prototype or the first products.
In September 2026 the company signed an agreement with the US Department of Commerce to speed up development and domestic manufacturing of components such as high-performance optical switches.
Photonics is one of the quantum computing routes Mamífero follows closely: Quandela will deliver Vietnam’s first quantum computer, Xanadu won DARPA funding and NASA is preparing a quantum gravity sensor with Monarch photonics. In communications, Florida switched on the first stretch of its quantum-safe network.
What’s next
- Commercial products will be announced “in the coming months”. Price, port count and delivery date are not yet known.
- The performance figures come from internal tests. Independent validation or results from early buyers will allow comparison with switches from other makers.
- PsiQuantum says it will keep working on its main goal, a useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Bottom line
PsiQuantum has found a market for its technology while the quantum computer is still in development. If the switch sells, the company gains revenue and proof that its photonics works outside the lab. The cost is splitting attention between two products.
Sources
- PsiQuantum, release “PsiQuantum Unveils Optical Circuit Switch for AI Data Centers”, 28 October 2026, reproduced by The Quantum Insider: thequantuminsider.com. The piece reproduces the company’s release.
- Cover image: Ehsanshahoseini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Edited by Rodrigo Cornejo. How we select and verify: who writes these notes.
