University of Arizona Research Powers New Optical Switching Technology Designed to Reduce Data Center Energy Consumption

TUCSON, Ariz., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Local communities across the United States are up in arms about proposals to build massive Data Farms in their communities.

"They use too much water!" "They consume too much energy!"

But there is no other way to handle the massive amounts of data being sent for the burgeoning Artificial Intelligence industry. If only the industry could develop a next-generation way to increase transmission speed ... and improve energy efficiency... and generate less heat when switching data. The industry needs a way to modify the switching process to dramatically increase speed and reduce energy needs... and all community concerns.

And that solution already exists.

Post-Quantum Tek has developed the High-Speed Optical Switch (PQT-HOS), which is 1,000 times faster than switches now in use and consumes 1/1000^th the amount of energy. Current switches receive data in optical format, convert it to electronic (digital) to switch it, then reconfigure it to optical to travel to its destination (OEO). The PQT-HOS uses light diffraction technology to keep data in optical format throughout the process (OOO), thus dramatically increasing switching speeds and significantly reducing energy needs, since the process generates far less heat.

This PQT-HOS is fully patented, proven new optical switching technology ready to be developed into a commercial prototype for data centers. Scientists, engineers, and labs are ready to develop the PQT optical switch through the University of Arizona's Tech Launch Arizona Institute.

Developed by Pierre-Alexandre Blanche, Research Professor at the University of Arizona, the PQT/HOS represents a paradigm shift that will greatly benefit operators of Data Farms and pave the way for a smoother faster flow of data.

"Solving the energy crisis in data centers is central to my mission," said Dr. Blanche. "The diffractive (holographic) optical switch sits at the core of a more sustainable path for cloud computing and AI infrastructure."

The PQT-HOS is bench-proven technology that has been peer reviewed in an IEEE from the University of Arizona College of Optics and has been verified by Microsoft Labs, the University of California, Berkeley Computer Science Department, and Texas Instruments.

This switch has received plaudits from key figures in the industry,

"We find your intended digital switch application for data centers, as well as other potential applications for this technology, very exciting. In our estimation, such disruptive, rapid and low energy switching technology, once fully developed and deployable, could make for notable enhancements across other industries."
     Salah Uddin
     Partner/Co-Founder, Nanoshift LLC

"Post-Quantum Tek's digital switch has the potential to radically change the scope of data centers by switching from an electronic base to a new light layered MEMS switch that represents a major technology breakthrough, increasing data speed by 1,000X and significantly reducing energy consumption by 1/1,000."
     Hassan Tanbakuchi
     Senior Engineer, Agilent

Dr. Blanche's work is still being quoted in scientific journals and/or patent applications:

• Unlocking Superior Performance in Reconfigurable Data Center Networks with Credit-Based Transport: August 2025
• US10634850B2 - Large-capacity optical fiber switch device: This patent, filed in 2017, cites US9453970B2 (identified in search results as application US20150293308A1).
• JP2017532583A5 / JP6172431B2 - Projection Optical System: This Japanese patent family lists the original patent as a prior art citation.
• CN104345395A N×n Optical Switch: A Chinese patent application that cites the original work.
• CN104345394A - Optical switch and optical switch array: Another Chinese patent application citing the original work.
• CN104297858A - A multicast switching optical switch: A Chinese patent application citing the original work.

Contact information:
Nina Trasoff
520-401-4193
[email protected]

SOURCE University of Arizona