Optical computers: faster and cheaper

2001/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Hardwarea

Future computers will replace electrons and cables with photons and fiber optics. In this way, the speed will be one hundred million times higher than that of current computers. In addition, computers will be smaller, cheaper and more reliable. In today's computers, the transmission medium is solid, so the speed and quantity of the signals that are transmitted are limited and the components of the computers are heated and finally deteriorate.

In addition, the use of smaller components generates signaling problems that affect system reliability. Photons, however, move much faster and need no insulation. On the other hand, with different frequencies hundreds of groups of photographic signals can be sent simultaneously.

This dream computer of some will be the result of collaboration between NASA and several universities. In fact, this entity has been financing since 1994 the agreement called ANLO (Pact for non-linear optics). The aim of the organizations participating in the agreement is to produce a high-speed computer, for which each university is researching in an area of knowledge to achieve among all the fastest possible computer.