Post-Digital Primers
Primers for post-digital technology domains, from neuromorphic and quantum systems to advanced photonics, computational memory, sensing and physical or biological mechanisms. The scope includes standalone processors, specialist accelerators, distributed quantum infrastructure and functions embedded in radio, switching and other network ASICs. The primers distinguish credible uses from loose analogies and premature claims.
Already relevant to selected products, operational decisions or migration programmes, although adoption remains uneven.
Neuromorphic edge sensingSpintronic memoryQuantum-safe migrationOptical interconnectLikely to appear alongside conventional digital systems, with software and operational layers hiding much of the underlying complexity.
Neuromorphic computingQuantum optimisationSpintronic computePhotonic computeIn-memory computeEarly mechanisms and research directions for monitoring and scenario work, not near-term planning assumptions.
Quantum networksQuantum sensing and PNTMagnonicsPhysical reservoirsBiological computingOther emerging domainsTechnology domains
MaturityEarly commercial trials
Quantum processors are best understood as specialist solvers used inside conventional software workflows. The practical question is whether a complete hybrid system can beat mature optimisation software on a valuable, real-world problem. More →
MaturityPQC deployment; QKD trials; networking research
Post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution solve different security problems and require very different infrastructure. PQC is already a mobile-network migration issue and part of the intended 6G security baseline; broader quantum networks and quantum sensing sit in separate domains. More →
MaturityLimited point-to-point links and research networks
Quantum networks connect computers, sensors and other quantum nodes. The useful question is not simply how far a photon travelled, but which application the network supports and whether fidelity, timing, rate, switching, endpoints and operating economics work together. More →
MaturityDeveloper systems and application pilots
Neuromorphic systems borrow ideas such as sparse events, local memory and asynchronous processing from nervous systems. Their strongest opportunities are always-on sensing and fast local decisions where conventional, frame-based AI moves too much data. More →
MaturityInterconnect commercial; compute prototypes
AI and cloud now drive much of the photonics agenda. This primer looks beyond conventional optical transport towards advanced interconnect, switching, sensing and hybrid acceleration, and asks where telcos still have defensible roles. More →
MaturityPrototype chips and early accelerators
Computing in or near memory reduces the costly movement of data between processors and storage. Analog and mixed-signal designs can be efficient, but precision, endurance, variability and software support determine whether device-level gains survive in a system. More →
MaturityComponents and laboratory systems
Spintronics uses electron spin and magnetic states for memory, sensing and computation. MRAM and magnetic sensors are already recognisable, while spin-based neurons, adaptive devices and specialist oscillators remain much less mature. More →
MaturityLaboratory demonstrations
Reservoir, ionic, mechanical and fluidic systems use the dynamics of matter itself to transform information. They may fit sensing and time-series tasks where the input is already physical or chemical, although most examples remain laboratory systems. More →
MaturityExperimental platforms and frameworks
Living cells, neural cultures, organoids and DNA-based processes can sense, store or transform information. Nearer-term value is more likely in biological sensing, research tools and biology-inspired software than in general-purpose biological computers. More →
MaturityConcepts to laboratory prototypes
Probabilistic, thermodynamic, reversible and other unconventional architectures do not yet form one stable category. This primer tracks distinct mechanisms that have credible evidence but are too early, sparse or cross-disciplinary for a permanent category of their own. More →
MaturitySpecialist products and field trials
Quantum clocks, inertial sensors and atom-based RF probes may improve timing, resilient navigation and measurement. They form a separate domain from quantum communications and from conventional 5G or 6G ISAC. More →
Reading the horizon
Nearer-term systems should be judged on integration, reliability and full-system economics. Hybrid-transition technologies need credible workload comparisons and usable tools. Further-future approaches first need repeatable mechanisms, independent evidence and a plausible route out of the laboratory.