The Council for Science and Technology’s recent letter to the Prime Minister has set out a clear case for photonics as a strategic UK priority, calling for a national roadmap, stronger support for domestic capability, and more coordinated investment across the sector. That importance is already reflected in the numbers. The UK photonics industry is…
News & Insights
At the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, we lead the way in advancing silicon photonics technologies, fostering collaboration across the UK’s academic and industrial communities.
Through events, conferences, and public engagement initiatives, we aim to inspire dialogue, showcase advancements, and connect stakeholders to tackle global challenges, enhance lives, and boost productivity with transformative photonics innovations.
The route to scalable, error-free silicon photonics: Professor Frederic Gardes Authors Blog Post for Computer Weekly
For silicon photonics to scale across modern AI and data centre infrastructure, it must behave like a standard mass-produced chip. Light can move data faster than electrons, but making photonic systems ‘boring’ enough for reliable, high-volume deployment without constant recalibration remains the real challenge. In this guest blog for Computer Weekly, Frederic Gardes, co-investigator at…
How silicon photonics could power next-generation AI systems: TechRadar Pro Interviews Professor Graham Reed
AI’s energy problem isn’t about raw compute – it’s about moving data. Getting information between processors, memory, and data centres fast enough, and without burning through enormous amounts of power, is where today’s systems are starting to crack. Silicon photonics uses light rather than electricity to carry that data, and it’s attracting serious investment…
Our Team Made a Music Video (Yes Really!)
Some teams do Secret Santa… ours makes music videos! Meet Band Gap, CORNERSTONE’s mysterious musical collective, look closely and you might spot some familiar faces… We had a blast creating this video, and we hope you enjoy it as much as our team enjoyed making it. As we will soon be stepping into the festive…
The Duke of Edinburgh visits CORNERSTONE and the University of Southampton to see how silicon photonics is powering UK innovation
CORNERSTONE was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the University of Southampton on Friday 3rd October 2025. The visit highlighted how ground-breaking, light-based technologies are powering the UK’s economic growth and strengthening its global leadership in silicon photonics. During the visit, The Duke explored the University’s cleanroom facilities, gaining first-hand…
UK Photonics in Focus: CORNERSTONE Leads Discussion on Growth and Innovation at Labour Party Conference
From 28 September to 1 October 2025, CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), in partnership with the New Statesman, the UK’s leading progressive political and cultural publication, hosted a well-attended panel discussion at the Labour Party’s Annual Conference in Liverpool, exploring how photonics is shaping the UK’s innovation landscape and the opportunities it presents for national…
CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre Launches Open GitHub Repository at ECOC 2025
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), the UK’s dedicated Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for silicon photonics, has announced the launch of its new Open Platform at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2025 on 29th September. The platform marks a major step towards open-source collaboration in photonics, providing researchers, innovators, and industry partners…
Science Minister Opens New E-beam Lithography Facility at CORNERSTONE, Enhancing UK Silicon Photonics Capabilities
A new state-of-the-art E-beam lithography facility has been officially opened at the University of Southampton, marking a significant enhancement to the UK’s national semiconductor and silicon photonics infrastructure. The facility—housed within CORNERSTONE at the University’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC)—was inaugurated by the UK’s Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance, during a recent visit to the campus. He…
Light for Future Semiconductors: Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre successfully hosted its latest event, “Roundtable: Light for Future Semiconductors – Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics,” on 18th of March 2025. The discussion, attended by key stakeholders, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to spotlight the UK’s leadership in photonics and its potential to drive economic growth. The discussion focused…
University of Southampton to develop cutting-edge semiconductor technologies based on photonic chips in major European project
The University of Southampton, represented by the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, is one of two UK participants named as part of the PIXEurope consortium, a collaboration between research organisations from across Europe which will develop, and manufacture prototypes based on photonic chips. Photonic chips transmit and manipulate light and offer significantly faster performance with lower…