Here Comes A Processor Capable of Transmitting Data Using Light

Did you ever think of technology would evolve so much where processors could communicate through light? — Well, researchers at University of California, Berkeley, MIT and the University of Colorado, Boulder have demonstrated the first ever processor that actually uses light for super fast communication and data transmission.

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Image Source: University of Colorado

This could be a breakthrough in the development of energy-efficient data centers which will use light rather than electrons. The researchers also claim that the chip is capable of transmitting 50 to 100 times more data than a standard chip.

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Image Source: University of Colorado

“Data transport across short electrical wires is limited by both bandwidth and power density, which creates a performance bottleneck for semiconductor microchips in modern computer systems—from mobile phones to large-scale data centers. These limitations can be overcome by using optical communications based on chip-scale electronic–photonic systems enabled by silicon-based nanophotonic devices,” according to the researchers on Nature Journal.

The development of chip working with the help of light was not a walk in the park due to difficulties in merging electrons and photons together. At the moment, there are limited manufacturers capable of developing light-based chips.

This technology will be available in next two years.

Here is a video demonstration:

For those wish to read more on this issue can check EureAlert.

University of Colorado 

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