Intel light-beam technology moves data at 50Gbps

This is the equivalent of transmitting an entire HD movie in a second.

The chipmaker claims its prototype silicon-based optical data connection with integrated lasers is a world first and further advances the quest to use light beams instead of electrons to carry data in and around computers.

Currently, computer components are connected to each other using copper cables or traces on circuit boards. Due to the signal degradation that comes with using metals such as copper to transmit data, these cables have a limited maximum length. This limits the design of computers, forcing processors, memory and other components to be placed just inches from each other.

Intel says its research achievement is another step toward replacing these connections with extremely thin and light optical fibres that can transfer much more data over far longer distances, radically changing the way computers of the future are designed and altering the way the data centres are designed.