![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/microsoft-2.jpg\" "\\"Microsoft\u2019s")
<\/a>Researcher with the current model of Microsoft Research\u2019s analog optical computer. Credit-Chris Welsch\/Microsoft.<\/p>\n\u00a0\u201cIt is an absolute giant problem with massive real-world finance impact,\u201d said Hitesh Ballani, who directs research on future AI infrastructure at Microsoft Research.<\/p>\n
Healthcare offered another proof-point. Using the AOC\u2019s digital twin, researchers reconstructed MRI scans with promising accuracy. Today, a typical scan takes about 30 minutes; the optical system could theoretically cut that to just five.<\/p>\n
While not yet ready for clinical use, the experiment hints at how the technology might reduce waiting times and improve access to diagnostics.<\/p>\n
Michael Hansen, a senior director at Microsoft Health Futures, noted that the digital twin was crucial in showing the viability of larger-scale MRI reconstructions.<\/p>\n
A future with AI<\/p>\n
The Cambridge team also sees potential for running AI workloads. Current large language models require enormous energy to process billions of parameters, but the optical approach could handle reasoning tasks like \u201cstate tracking\u201d far more efficiently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important aspect the AOC delivers is that we estimate around a hundred times improvement in energy efficiency,\u201d said Microsoft researcher Jannes Gladrow.<\/p>\n
The prototype currently manages just 256 parameters, but researchers believe it could scale to millions or even billions as micro-LED components are miniaturized.<\/p>\n
For Ballani, the long-term vision is clear: \u201cOur goal is this being a significant part of the future of computing<\/a>, with Microsoft and the industry continuing this compute-based transformation of society in a sustainable fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n