IBM’s Technology to Bring Laptop-Sized Supercomputers

Supercomputers could be the same size as a notebook computer if IBM brings to market research detailed today, in which pulses of light replace electricity to make data transfer between processor cores on a chip up to one-hundred times faster, InfoWorld reports.

“The technology, called silicon nanophotonics, replaces some of the wires on a chip with pulses of light on tiny optical fibers for quicker and more power-efficient data transfers between cores on a chip,” the report says.

The improved data bandwidth and lower power consumption of silicon nanophotonics will bring massive computing power to desks accordingly.

“We’ll be able to have hundreds or thousands of cores on a chip,” said Will Green, research scientist at IBM. Users will be able to render virtual worlds in real-time and have a better gaming experience, he added.

The IBM’s breakthrough technology could be implemented in chips within 10 to 12 years, Green said.

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