Analog Computing Days 2026: A milestone for computing’s future
More than 80 researchers, developers, entrepreneurs, and technology experts gathered at the Analog Computing Days 2026 to discuss the future of computing. Organized by Prof. Dr. Lucas Böttcher (hessian.AI and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) and Prof. Dr. Bernd Ulmann (anabrid GmbH and FOM University of Applied Sciences), the event has become an important gathering place for a research and innovation community that is growing in significance.
Against the backdrop of growing physical and energy-related limitations of digital computer systems, analog and hybrid analog-digital architectures are increasingly coming into focus. The Analog Computing Days provided a platform for discussing new approaches, applications, and research perspectives in this dynamic field. The goal of the event was to bring together academia, industry, and investors and to foster the development of a strong network for the next generation of computer systems.
With more than 20 speakers from a wide range of disciplines—including mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, biology, and philosophy—the conference reflected the extraordinary interdisciplinary nature of the topic. The diversity of perspectives made it clear that the field of physical and analog computing is currently developing at a rapid pace and drawing new inspiration from numerous scientific disciplines.
A particular highlight was the hackathon on the second day of the event. Participants had the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art analog computing hardware from the company anabrid and to test hybrid computing systems in practice. The teams’ intensive collaboration and creative approaches highlighted the great potential of this technology for future applications in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and in the field of energy-efficient computer systems.
In addition, anabrid presented its newly developed chip to the scientific community for the first time. The demonstration marked an important step in translating analog computing concepts from research into concrete hardware solutions and underscored the growing maturity of this field of research and innovation.
The political significance of technological innovations was also highlighted during the event. In her speech, Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus, Hessian Minister for Digitalization and Innovation, emphasized the importance of hessian.AI for Hesse as a hub of innovation, as well as the role of targeted support for innovative startups and small and medium-sized enterprises in the technology sector. She noted that advances in future technologies arise where research, entrepreneurship, and political support work together.
The enthusiastic response to the Analog Computing Days 2026 shows that interest in alternative computing paradigms continues to grow. At the same time, it became clear that the development of powerful and sustainable computer systems can only succeed through close collaboration between science, industry, and politics. The event provided important impetus in this regard, sparked new collaborations, and further strengthened the networking of a rapidly growing international community. The Analog Computing Days 2026 impressively demonstrated the potential of analog and hybrid computing architectures—and that Hesse plays a key role in shaping this technological future.
Photos by Johannes Fritzsche
