Production of Photon Processors Expected in 2006

ThinSkin writes "Photon processors that transmit data via light, not electrons, are slated to enter production in mid-2006, ExtremeTech reports. Headed by a UCLA professor and a Nobel Prize winner, startup Luxtera claims that its optical modulator clocks in at 10-GHz, tens times that of Intel's optical modulator researchers talked about last year. Since the optical module exists as its own entity, it will require a standard CMOS processes to integrate the optical waveguides. Luxtera has worked closely with Freescale Semiconductor to develop this technology."

Comments

Error In The Article

[the_mad_poster]

Electrons ARE light particles.

Re:Error In The Article

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing I know about duality is that I'll be seeing this article again tomorrow.

Re:Error In The Article

[TummyX]

Yes, but they are light. Certainly lighter than protons which are themselves light.

How long until...

[Anonymous Coward]

people start talking about the GHz Myth?

My photons are faster than yours!

Re:How long until...

[PapayaSF]

What, do you think it takes over 7 GHz to load a page on a website?

Safe prediction: by the time we're using photon processors, yes, it will take 7 gHz to load a website....

Whose bright idea was it...

[Anonymous Coward]

to use light for your processor.

Imagine Intel chips with this technology. Now instead of heating your whole room - you have an extremely bright night light. "Sleep" or "hibernate" will have a new meaning when you use it to turn off the main light in your room.

Bah

[Anonymous Coward]

They'll just release the exact same chip as this guy in a year, only call it "Pentium 4 with photon extensions" and pretend they invented it.

Perfect!

[RobertKozak]

Now when I find a bug in my code I can just reconfigure the photonic matrix and reverse the polarity of the power coupling.

And if that doesn't work I'll try modulating the field harmonics.

This can really save me in a tight situation.

Robert

Re:Not a "Processor" [winhat]

[winhat2]

It is a light, portable screen usually circular and supported on a short-term scale, but ultimately, they're just masking the real problem, which can only be solved by the level of thinking that created them.

The average girl would rather have beauty than brains because she knows that the nature in which ramanujan was referred to as "indian math guy" in the sense of optical logic.

Optical Modulator?

[Esion Modnar]

Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom! --Marvin the Martian

Re:Seeing is believing

[NanoGator]

"I'll believe it when I see it in action."

Yeah because companies are always promising more processing power, but they never deliver!!

"More light!"

[lartful_dodger]

what are they going to call this baby? Goethe?

I can hear it now ...

[KSobby]

The tech support calls for this will trump all: Tech Answer 1: Data loss? Ma'am, it says clearly in the instructions that this device is not to be used near any singularity of any kind. It's been known to warp and bend results. Tech Anser 2: Sir, the machine is acting slowly? Are you by chance going 299,792,458 m/s? That drops performance to 286 levels. What's that? you're running BSD? So why are you complaining? Plenty of horsepower for that.