University of Cambridge spin-out Phaseshift is developing flat optical hardware designed to overcome limitations affecting quantum computing, artificial intelligence infrastructure, LiDAR, imaging, and augmented reality. The company is building on more than a decade of optical engineering research led by cofounder and CTO Amit Agrawal.
Modern optical systems commonly rely on bulk optics, including carefully aligned lenses, mirrors, and prisms. Although effective, these components increase system size, weight, and cost and can be difficult to manufacture at scale. In quantum computing, optical hardware can restrict the number of qubits that systems can control. Data centers face similar challenges because assembling precision optical components affects manufacturing speed and yield.
Phaseshift aims to replace these conventional components with metasurfaces. These ultrathin structures contain nanoscale patterns that manipulate and direct light across a flat interface. Importantly, they can be produced using lithography processes similar to those semiconductor foundries use to manufacture microchips. This approach could allow advanced optics to move from individually assembled components toward scalable semiconductor-style production.
According to Phaseshift, its metasurfaces can reduce the weight of optical systems by as much as 20 times and their thickness by up to 100 times. The technology could also lower costs and accelerate production by allowing multiple optical components to be manufactured together.
Materials are another important part of the company’s strategy. While many early flat-optics technologies rely on silicon and therefore operate within limited wavelength ranges, Phaseshift is developing devices using a broader range of materials. This enables operation across ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, which are particularly important for quantum technologies.
Beyond quantum computing, the technology could support advanced sensing, communications, autonomous systems, scientific instruments, and AI infrastructure. By combining nanoscale optical engineering with semiconductor manufacturing, Phaseshift hopes to shrink complex optical systems while making them easier and less expensive to produce at scale.
