Researchers in the United States have demonstrated that an innovative twist on a well-known material could significantly advance quantum computing while making modern data centers far more energy efficient.A team from Penn State University revisited barium titanate, a material first discovered in 1941 and celebrated for its exceptional electro-optic properties in bulk crystal form.

“It has one of the largest electro-optic coefficients known at room temperature,” explained Venkat Gopalan, professor of materials science and engineering and co-author of the study. “But it never transitioned into commercial use. What we’ve shown is that by straining this classic material in just the right way, it can achieve entirely new capabilities.”

Figure 1. Slash Data Center Energy Use.

Turning a Classic Material into a Modern Breakthrough

Electro-optic materials like barium titanate serve as bridges between electricity and light, converting electrical signals (carried by electrons) into optical signals (carried by photons). While its potential has been known for decades, barium titanate was largely sidelined by lithium niobate, a more stable and easily fabricated—though less capable—alternative. Figure 1 shows Slash Data Center Energy Use.

Now, by reshaping barium titanate into ultrathin, strained films, the Penn State team has unlocked a dramatic improvement: the material can convert electron-based signals into light-based ones over ten times more efficiently than previous designs, even at cryogenic temperatures.

From Quantum Circuits to Greener Data Centers

This enhanced conversion efficiency could be crucial for quantum computing, where information from superconducting circuits—operating at extremely low temperatures—must eventually be converted into light to travel between distant quantum systems through optical fibers, forming the backbone of future quantum networks.

But the implications go far beyond quantum technologies. The same process could revolutionize data centers, which power everything from AI models to cloud services and currently consume enormous amounts of electricity—much of it just to stay cool.

By enabling photon-based communication inside data centers, the technology could drastically cut heat generation and energy use. “Photons carry information without generating heat like electrons do,” noted the researchers. “That makes them far more energy efficient for large-scale data processing.”

Aiden Ross, co-lead author and graduate research assistant at Penn State, emphasized the broader vision: “Integrated photonic technologies are becoming increasingly attractive for companies running massive data centers, especially as AI adoption accelerates. Using photons instead of electrons would let us transmit many data streams simultaneously—without the immense cooling infrastructure today’s centers require.”

This fresh approach to an 80-year-old material, researchers say, may bridge the gap between quantum innovation and sustainable computing, reshaping the technological foundations of tomorrow’s connected world.

Reference:

1. https://interestingengineering.com/science/twist-on-classic-material-advance-quantum-computing

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), New Spin on a Classic Material May Boost Quantum Computing and Slash Data Center Energy Use, AnaTechMaz, pp.373