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Optical computing

Multiplying matrices in a single pass with light

Nature Photonics volume 20, pages 3–4 (2026)Cite this article

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Optical computing has been limited to vector–matrix multiplications, with matrix–matrix operations requiring wavelength- or time-division multiplexing, reducing energy efficiency and speed. Now, researchers have demonstrated a free-space optical approach that overcomes these limitations, enabling parallel matrix–matrix and tensor–matrix multiplications in a single optical operation.

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Fig. 1: Vector–matrix and matrix–matrix multiplications in free-space optical systems.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo

  2. Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo

  3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Nathan Youngblood

Authors
  1. Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo
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  2. Nathan Youngblood
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo or Nathan Youngblood.

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Competing interests

The authors declare the following competing interests: C.R.O and N.Y. have existing patents related to optical computing technologies.

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Ríos Ocampo, C.A., Youngblood, N. Multiplying matrices in a single pass with light. Nat. Photon. 20, 3–4 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01828-5

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