 We've seen headlines about optical computing for several years, and it seems that it will be many more years before this technology has any mainstream application, but make no mistake about one thing: optical computing holds tremendous promise. Here's why:
CPUs are all about moving data from one place to another while performing simple logic at data intersections (such as not, and, or, nor, nand, and so on). You can accomplish this by moving electrons, as we do in popular CPUs, or you can do the same thing with photons (light).
So, essentially, we're moving information and performing simple logic on information. Light has characteristics that allow this to take place very rapidly, without many of the limitations of traditional electron-based CPUs.
For one thing, light travels at, well, the speed of light. That's pretty fast: 186,000 miles per second, give or take. And yet it does this without creating all the heat we presently associate with CPUs powered by electricity.
In fact, heat has become a critical limiting factor in the ongoing effort to shrink circuits in modern CPUs. Clock them any faster, or shrink them any more, and you'll be frying the circuits themselves. You can only pump so much electricity through a silicon wafer before it starts to melt. But you can move as many photons as you want, without the heat worry.
Still, optical processing is in its infancy. It's cool science, and it's real science unlike a lot of nanotechnology hype, but it's nowhere near being ready for widespread application.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a maker of super bright LED light bulbs that are 1000% more energy efficient than incandescent lights. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as Pilates, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening.
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