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IBM Slows the Speed of Light

Posted by Zonk on from the galileo-spinning-in-grave dept.

dptalia writes "According to an article on ZDNet, IBM has come up with a way to slow light to 1/300 of its normal speed. While this has been done in laboratories before, IBM has found out how to do this using standard materials, which opens the possibility of mass production. This means that the dream of having optical based CPUs may be closer than previously thought." From the article: "When the optical conversion might start to occur is a matter of speculation. Luxtera has said it will start to commercially produce products in 2007. The computer industry, however, tends to move slowly when it comes to major overhauls of computer architecture. Several components will have to be developed before photons can replace electrons inside computers. A paper providing details on the chip will run in Nature on Wednesday."

10 of 365 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Experiment of the millenium by smooth+wombat · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I hope to do the Kestrel run in less than 12 forceps.

    Er, forceps? I don't think you meant to use that word.

    Maybe you meant to use the word parsec.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  2. I'd rather they not by alta · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I mean, if I get an optical processor, I don't want it to run at 1/300th the speed of light. I want FULL speed. Are they planning on selling 1/200th as an upgrade, until one day we top off at 1/1th the speed of light like we have at around 3.8GHz?

    --
    Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
  3. Re:Implications on Quantum Computers by Duckspeak · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I wonder if this would help advance any photon-based quantum computer implementations. Any thoughts ?

    Here's one: stop hotboxing your spaceship.

  4. Re:What's the dispersion for this? by PDHoss · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Yeah, what he said.

    --
    ======================================
    Writers get in shape by pumping irony.
  5. Re:How about speeding it up, now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Pussy! Don't know know that having your civilization destroyed BUILDS CHARACTER!?!?!

  6. Unicorns Will Be Real!! by open_myeyes · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Unicorns and other 'mythical' creatures are almost sure to be 'created' via genetic engineering sooner or later. The potential revenue for mythological (vs. jurassic) park is too great and the ethical considerations pose no real roadblock, cloning and genetic alteration of various animals having already been accepted in many nations of the world.

    A faster than light unicorn, though--now that would really turn heads.

    Furthermore, I for one welcome our new FTL Unicorn overlords.

  7. Re:One question by bdcrazy · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The speed of dark is faster. You can see light coming at you. The problem is seeing the dark coming.

    --
    Tonights forecast: Dark. Continued dark throughout most of the evening, with some widely-scattered light towards morning
  8. we did this back in the 60 s by observer7 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    we slowed light way back in the 60 s . we used an element called l.s.d.

  9. The secret to how they did it by Ethelred+Unraed · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    They got Einstein stone drunk.

    Relatively speaking.

    Cheers,

    Ethelred

    --
    Everyone wants to be Ethelred. Even I want to be Ethelred.
  10. There was a young lady named.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    She'll have to try for early this morning now