Intel's laser-based processor

In the next 5-10 years by all estimates we should have a processor capable of 1Tbps throughput, at least according to Intel. The optical networking chip Intel is working on uses laser light as the medium for performing computations, instead of the traditional transistor-based chips. Light represents data, which is processed instead of molecules or electrical signals. I guess you could say that fiber optic technology is quite similar to how this chip works. light moves faster than pretty much anything else we currently have, so it makes a great data carrier. A substance called indium phosphide is one that emits light on a single wavelength when electricity is applied to it, which will generate the light source needed to make this processor work. This chip could pay big dividends in computing, not just in fiber networking systems, but in computing platforms as well. Intel believes they could mass-produce these chips in the next 5-10 years, and they will cheaper and easier to produce. Computing at the speed of light sounds good to me.

Tags: hardware, intel, laser, networking, news, optical, processor