🖥️ Local Tech Alive and Thriving | CityClips #498

Local: Launch Tally x CityClips

Innovation: Light-Powered AI Chip

Featured: KB Studio | Promoting Great Brands

FL Tech Events

Launch Tally continues to serve as a central hub connecting Tallahassee’s growing tech ecosystem—a space for sharing ideas, events, and community updates. ✨

The gathering brought together leaders and innovators from Ruvos, Florida Technology Council, TalTech Alliance, FSU College of Communication & Information, and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, along with tech advocates like Jabaree Allen, Corrie Melton, Bryan Gibson, and Bill Lickson.

Each meetup reveals more of Tallahassee’s hidden potential. Did you know there’s a Global AI chapter right here in the city? Check it out: Global AI Tallahassee.

FSU, FAMU, and TSC continue to drive innovation: from FSU’s initiatives like FSUHealth, InSPIRE, and AI Research to FAMU’s focus on cybersecurity and business, and TSC’s efforts in AI and manufacturing. ⚙️

The key takeaway: when people gather, share ideas, and connect across organizations, new collaborations emerge. With platforms like Launch Tally and the Chamber’s public forums, Tallahassee can continue building momentum and unlocking its full tech potential.

The chip tackles one of AI’s most power-hungry jobs—image recognition and pattern detection by performing “convolutions” using light instead of electrical current. This shift dramatically reduces energy use while boosting speed. ⚡

Built with tiny lasers and microscopic Fresnel lenses (similar to those in lighthouses but thousands of times smaller), the chip converts data into light, processes it, and then converts it back into a digital signal—all right on the circuit board.

In early tests, the chip achieved 98% accuracy in classifying handwritten digits, matching traditional AI chips but using only a fraction of the power.

The researchers say this innovation could help reduce the massive electricity demand of AI systems, a growing global concern as models become larger and more complex.

The team, led by Dr. Volker J. Sorger at UF’s Florida Semiconductor Institute, worked alongside UCLA and George Washington University, publishing their findings in Advanced Photonics. Sorger notes this is “a leap forward for future AI systems,” paving the way for optical AI computing to become part of everyday chips in the near future. 🔮

Science Night With the Collins Main Library - Brains | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 6:30 PM | LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Public Library, 200 W. Park Ave. | Free

Nutrition Research for a Healthier Nation: Introducing ICON-Health | Monday, Oct. 20 | 1 PM | Register

IGNITE Tallahassee Grand Opening | Tuesday, Oct. 21 | 9 AM | IGNITE Tallahassee, 1729 W. Paul Dirac Dr. | Register

3rd Annual Discovery Challenge | Tuesday, Oct. 21 | 3 PM | Augustus B. Turnbull Conference, 555 W. Pensacola St. | Register

Blast Off! Saturday Morning Physics + Art | Saturday, Oct. 25 | 9:30 AM | Richard’s Building (UPL), Florida State University | Register

14th Annual Tallahassee Science Festival | Saturday, Nov. 8 | 10 AM | Kleman Plaza, 306 S. Duval St. | Learn More

Science Night Season 2025/2026 | Thursday, Nov. 20 | 6:30 PM | LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Public Library, 200 W. Park Ave. | Free

Featured Event: Florida Startup Summit by OneSixOne Ventures | Friday, Oct. 17 | 9:30 AM | University of Florida, Rion Ballroom in J. Wayne Reitz Student Union | From $55.20 Tickets | Learn More

FSU Health Expo: Bridging Community, Health and Research | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 10 AM | Wakulla County Community Center, 318 Shadeville Rd., Crawfordville | Register

2025 Future of Florida Forum (F3) & Florida Chamber Annual Meeting | Monday to Tuesday, Oct. 27 to 28 | JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa, 14900 Chelonia Pkwy. Orlando | In-Person Regular Registration: $625 | Learn More

53rd Southeastern Magnetic Resonance Conference | Friday to Sunday, Nov. 14 to 16 | University of Florida College of Medicine Campus, Gainesville | Learn More