IBM hooks up chips using light

IBM scientists on Wednesday announced the development of a device that uses light, instead of copper wires, to allow computer chips to communicate.

The advancement is a step toward replacing the electrical signals that computer chips use to talk to each other in pursuit of more energy-efficient computing.

Called a nanophotonic avalanche photodetector, the device is the fastest of its kind and has "significant implications" for the future of electronics, IBM said.

For more on this story, see IBM creates optical device to enhance inter-processor connections on ZDNet.com.