Glass Chips Could Make Data Centers Much More Efficient

3 min Reading Time

Worldwide, more and more power plants are being built to satisfy the growing energy hunger of data centers. However, in the spirit of Green IT, it would be better to increase the efficiency of data centers instead. One possibility: replacing silicon as a storage medium with glass chips.

TL;DR

Energy problem: Data centers consume 1-1.5 percent of global electricity – and this trend is sharply increasing.
Photonics solution: Chips that work with light instead of electricity drastically reduce energy consumption.
Glass instead of silicon: The Milan-based startup Ephos replaces silicon with glass – 20 times more energy-efficient.
Less cooling: Glass chips operate at room temperature and save up to 50 percent of total costs.
Market volume: The photonics market is expected to grow from $984 billion (2024) to $1.6 trillion (2032).

Bad news for DVD enthusiasts. As Warner Bros. recently confirmed, many of them – especially those from 2006 to 2008 – are literally rotting away. Glass, on the other hand, has long been considered a candidate for preserving text, image, audio, and video data for eternity.

A contribution from the Euronews section “The Big Question” now suggests that glass in combination with photonics could be the answer to making data centers more efficient through this alternative storage medium. The goal is to avoid the need for constantly building new power plants to satisfy their energy hunger – and simultaneously cut costs.

According to the International Energy Agency, data centers already account for about 1.0 to 1.5 percent of global electricity consumption. In Ireland – with its many data centers – that figure jumps to 20 percent. If capacity continues growing at this pace, all data centers combined will consume roughly 1,000 terawatt-hours per year by 2026 – about as much as Japan.

Glass Chips Have Almost No Cooling Requirements

A challenge that can be addressed by using photonics and glass as an alternative material for corresponding chips. Photonics chips process and store data using light instead of electricity. They’re not only widely deployed in data communication but also as Lab-on-a-Chip – or LOC – devices in healthcare, autonomous driving, and engineering. The global photonics market already reached $983.5 billion ($906.6 billion euros) in 2024 and is projected to hit $1.6426 trillion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Google is currently the only company using photonics at scale. The tech giant and hyperscaler reduced the energy consumption of its own data centers by 40 percent – and saved significantly on network infrastructure investment. The Milan-based company Ephos manufactures such photonics chips and stands out as a revolutionary industry player by replacing silicon in its chips with glass. However, Google currently deploys only silicon-based chips, CEO and founder Andrea Rocchetto explained in “The Big Question” video segment. Glass chips, by contrast, would be 20 times more energy-efficient.

Ephos Promises 50 Percent Savings

“We build chips out of glass. Glass has a special property – it’s the same material used to make optical fibers. By using the same material as fiber optics, we minimize signal loss that occurs when bonding a fiber and a chip together,” explains the Ephos CEO. His company’s glass chips operate at room temperature.

That means dramatically less cooling effort – freeing companies building new data centers from dependence on naturally cooler regions like Ireland, Iceland, or northern Scandinavia, where cooling is essentially free.

Ten percent of a data center’s energy costs go toward networking; 40 percent toward cooling. “By deploying photonics technologies like Ephos’s, operators can cut roughly 50 percent of their total costs,” says Rocchetto.

Security Aspects of the New Technology

Transitioning to photonics-based infrastructure carries security implications. Optical signals are inherently harder to intercept than electrical ones – physically tapping into fiber optics demands far more effort and leaves measurable signal degradation. For data centers handling sensitive information, photonics architecture may therefore deliver an added layer of security.

At the same time, the technology raises new questions: How secure are the manufacturing processes? How resilient is the supply chain for specialized glass chips? And how does the attack surface shift when optical networks replace electrical ones inside data centers? The security community is watching this evolution closely.

Location Selection Becomes More Flexible

Until now, hyperscalers have had to factor cooling into data center site selection – a key reason why Scandinavia, Iceland, and Ireland are favored locations. Glass chips operating at room temperature would ease that constraint. Data centers could be sited closer to end users, lowering latency and strengthening digital sovereignty – an increasingly vital consideration for European enterprises and GDPR compliance.

Key Facts at a Glance

Global data center power consumption: 1.0-1.5 percent of global consumption; forecast for 2026: ~1,000 TWh/year

Ireland: 20 percent of national power consumption by data centers

Google savings: 40 percent less energy consumption through photonics

Glass vs. silicon: 20 times more energy-efficient, per Ephos

Total savings: Up to 50 percent of data center costs (10% networking + 40% cooling)

Photonics market: $984 billion (2024) → $1.643 trillion (2032)

Fact: Per the IEA, data centers consume roughly 1.5 percent of global electricity demand – and that share is rising.

Fact: Gartner forecasts that by 2028, over 30 percent of all new data centers will adopt next-generation, energy-efficient chip technologies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are photonics chips?

Photonics chips use light instead of electrical current to process and transmit data. They’re deployed across data communication, lab-on-a-chip devices in healthcare, autonomous driving, and engineering. Because they rely on light, they operate more efficiently and generate far less heat.

Why is glass better than silicon for photonics chips?

Glass is the same material used in optical fibers. When chips and fibers share identical composition, interface-related signal losses vanish. Plus, glass chips run at room temperature – slashing cooling needs. According to Ephos, they’re 20 times more energy-efficient than silicon-based photonics chips.

How much electricity do data centers currently consume?

Per the International Energy Agency, data centers account for roughly 1.0 to 1.5 percent of global electricity use. With continued growth, they’ll draw around 1,000 terawatt-hours annually by 2026 – equivalent to Japan’s entire national consumption. In Ireland, data centers already consume 20 percent of the country’s electricity.

Nutzt bereits jemand Photonik in Rechenzentren?

Google is currently the only company using photonics at scale – and has cut its data center energy use by 40 percent. Yet Google still relies on silicon-based photonics chips. The Milan-based startup Ephos is developing the next generation, with glass as the foundational material.

Welche Security-Vorteile bieten optische Netzwerke?

Optical signals are inherently harder to intercept than electrical ones. Physically tapping fiber optics requires greater effort and introduces detectable signal loss. For data centers managing sensitive data, photonics thus offers a potential security boost.

More from the MBF Media Network

cloudmagazin | MyBusinessFuture | Digital Chiefs

Header Image Source: Adobe Stock/ sdecoret

Print article