PARADOX-GenII: Silicon Photonics Breakthrough Achieves Sub-8 J/TH Mining Efficiency

PARADOX-GenII: The Dawn of Photonic Bitcoin Mining

Today, we unveil our most ambitious project yet: PARADOX-GenII, the worlds first Bitcoin mining ASIC to integrate silicon photonics with traditional CMOS computing. By replacing electrical interconnects with optical waveguides for critical data paths, we have achieved what was thought impossible: sub-8 J/TH efficiency at 350 TH/s.

The Photonic Advantage

In traditional ASICs, including our NEXUS and PARADOX systems, up to 40% of power consumption comes from moving data between compute cores. Electrical signals face fundamental physical limitations: resistance, capacitance, and inductance all increase with distance, consuming more power and generating heat. Light, however, travels through silicon waveguides with virtually no resistance and minimal loss.

Hybrid Silicon-Photonic Architecture

PARADOX-GenII employs a revolutionary hybrid architecture combining the best of both worlds:

• Composite Silicon Layers: Alternating layers of computational silicon (3nm process) and photonic silicon (45nm SOI process) create a heterogeneous 3D structure optimised for both computation and communication

• Optical Network-on-Chip: High-bandwidth optical waveguides connect compute clusters, providing 100 Tbps aggregate bandwidth with less than 0.1 pJ/bit energy consumption

• Wavelength Division Multiplexing: Each optical channel carries 64 wavelengths simultaneously, enabling massive parallelisation of data transfer without interference

• Integrated Laser Sources: On-chip III-V laser diodes bonded to silicon provide optical power, eliminating external laser requirements

Breaking the 10 J/TH Barrier

The combination of 3nm computational silicon and photonic interconnects enables PARADOX-GenII to achieve 7.8 J/TH efficiency—a 30% improvement over PARADOX and nearly 3x better than current industry standards. This efficiency gain comes from three primary sources:

1. Near-zero power data movement through optical interconnects

2. Reduced cooling requirements due to lower heat generation

3. Higher clock frequencies enabled by reduced RC delays

Thermal Management Revolution

Photonic interconnects generate virtually no heat, allowing us to concentrate cooling efforts solely on compute cores. The photonic layers actually serve as thermal isolation barriers between compute layers, preventing heat accumulation in the stack centre. This enables sustained operation at 350 TH/s with conventional air cooling—a feat impossible with purely electronic designs.

Manufacturing Innovation

PARADOX-GenII requires unprecedented manufacturing precision, combining two distinct fabrication processes:

• Advanced 3nm CMOS: Computational layers fabricated using TSMC N3E process for maximum transistor density

• Silicon Photonics: Optical layers manufactured on 300mm SOI wafers with sub-nanometre waveguide precision

• Hybrid Bonding: Proprietary Cu-Cu and optical coupling techniques achieve <1μm alignment accuracy across the entire wafer

Intelligent Workload Distribution

The optical network enables revolutionary workload distribution algorithms. Unlike electrical systems limited by wire congestion, our optical mesh can instantly reconfigure routing paths through wavelength switching. This allows real-time load balancing across all compute cores, ensuring no silicon remains idle whilst others are overloaded.

Quantum-Ready Architecture

The photonic infrastructure in PARADOX-GenII is inherently quantum-compatible. As quantum computing threatens traditional cryptography, the optical pathways can be adapted for quantum key distribution and post-quantum algorithms, protecting mining investments against future technological disruption.

Economic Impact

At 7.8 J/TH, PARADOX-GenII makes Bitcoin mining profitable even at electricity costs exceeding £0.15/kWh. For large-scale operations, this translates to annual savings of £2.3 million per 100MW facility compared to current-generation hardware. The reduced cooling requirements further decrease infrastructure costs by approximately 35%.

Looking Ahead

PARADOX-GenII represents more than just another mining ASIC—it is a glimpse into the future of heterogeneous computing. The successful integration of photonics with traditional silicon opens possibilities beyond cryptocurrency, including AI acceleration, scientific computing, and data centre applications.

With first prototypes expected in Q4 2026 and production commencing in 2027, we are now accepting expressions of interest from strategic partners and early adopters. The photonic revolution in Bitcoin mining has begun.

For technical specifications and partnership opportunities, contact our Advanced Technology Division.