Europe launches HiCONNECTS to cut AI data centre power

European researchers have launched the HiCONNECTS project to develop photonics-based computing and networking systems, bringing together 64 partners across 15 countries.

The initiative aims to replace some conventional electronic data processing with systems that use light to transmit and compute data. Its backers argue this could cut electricity use in data centres, mobile networks and other digital infrastructure as demand from artificial intelligence, streaming and cloud services grows.

Concern over the energy use of digital infrastructure has increased as AI workloads expand and more services rely on constant data transfers between users, devices and remote computing facilities. Figures cited by the project show data centres already account for about 1.5% of global electricity consumption, and demand could more than double by 2030.

System strain

Researchers say part of the problem lies in the limits of electrical signals. As systems run faster and carry more data, those signals generate more heat and lose more energy, increasing pressure on power supplies and cooling systems.

Photonics offers an alternative because light can carry information with lower energy loss than electricity across many types of connection. The HiCONNECTS consortium plans to combine photonics with advanced electronics to reduce heat, lower power use and increase data speeds.

Another part of the project focuses on shifting where data is processed. Instead of sending all information to distant data centres, the researchers are examining ways to handle more computing locally, including on devices, within urban networks and across nearby systems.

That model, described by the organisers as a more localised internet, is intended to shorten the distance data must travel. The expected result is lower latency, lower energy use and less pressure on centralised facilities.

The applications under discussion range from AI services and telecoms networks to healthcare diagnostics and smart city systems. In each case, the goal is to support higher data volumes without a matching rise in power consumption.

European focus

The scale of the consortium reflects the strategic importance Europe places on photonics and semiconductors. HiCONNECTS includes semiconductor companies, equipment manufacturers, universities and research institutes, and is positioned as part of a broader effort to strengthen Europe in technologies linked to computing and communications.

Photonics21, which represents the European photonics community, has framed the initiative as a response to growing strain on digital infrastructure. The group warns that current systems may struggle to keep pace if data volumes continue to rise and energy use increases with them.

Europe already has a significant industrial base in photonics. According to Photonics21, the region’s photonics industry grew from EUR €103 billion in 2019 to EUR €124.6 billion in 2022 and employs more than 430,000 people directly. It also puts the global photonics market at USD $864.6 billion in 2022.

The organisation represents more than 4,300 individual members from industry, research organisations and universities. It describes photonics as one of the critical technologies in which Europe retains a strong position in both research and business.

Infrastructure challenge

For network operators and technology companies, the broader challenge is how to scale digital services without a matching increase in electricity demand. Every AI query, streamed video or location request triggers data movement across networks and processing in computing facilities, often far from the user.

That architecture has worked for years, but the rise of AI and connected devices has sharpened concerns about whether existing approaches can remain efficient. HiCONNECTS is trying to address that challenge at the hardware level by redesigning how information is moved and processed.

The project’s organisers argue the sector’s challenge is no longer only to improve speed, but to ensure future computing infrastructure can expand without overwhelming energy systems.

By bringing together major industrial and academic participants from across Europe, HiCONNECTS will test whether light-based processing and communications can reduce the energy cost of the internet’s next phase.