A Europe-wide consortium has taken up the challenge of making a significant impact on the power consumption of telecommunications and data networks, which are estimated to consume as much as 3% of European electricity. Five partner organizations have come together in the BIANCHO project (BIsmide And Nitride Components for High temperature Operation), a 3 year research and development initiative supported to the tune of €2.190 million through the EU Framework 7 program.
The project will develop new semiconductor materials to allow lasers and other photonic components to become more energy efficient and also more tolerant of high operating temperatures. This power reduction is vital as optical communication systems are becoming the principal way to deliver ever-increasing data-rich broadband services to homes and businesses.
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