Intel Crows Over Speedy New Microchip
Intel is announcing a new microchip that the company says is revolutionary. It's the first chip that sends and receives data using beams of light.
For some time now, Intel has been working on a device that integrates laser technology onto a microchip to speed up the transfer of data. This week, Mario Paniccia, director of Intel's Photonics Technology Lab announced that they have done it.
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"For the first time, we have an integrated silicon photonics transmitter that's capable of operating at 50 gigabits per second with hybrid silicon lasers," said Paniccia.
Intel says that using this chip they can move 100 hours of music in one second. Soon researchers hope to be able to transfer the entire printed Library of Congress in less than two minutes.
"If they can use lasers to transmit this data much faster, that means more data, more processing, and ultimately cheaper devices," said KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid.
These photonic chips won't be available for another five years, but Intel says they can make them using the same material they're already using, meaning the cost will be low.
