Yes, they sure are here for IBM has announced yet another groundbreaking milestone in computing, The Optical-Microprocessor has been undergoing testing as to possible applications. This technology was seen as impossible a few years back but with ever growing developments in materials and manufacturing processes has done it again. IBM is known for its long history of innovations in the field of computing and technology. They have been part of the rapid development of technologies in many areas of computing and is recognized as one of the industry leaders.
The proposed supercomputers on a single chip uses only power equivalent to an ordinary household light bulb and uses the latest opto-electronics technology enabling the microprocessor to go as fast as the speed of light. To this day, fiber optics are the mainstay of high-speed data transmission which is what could we say, the fastest means of transferring data from one point to another.
The processor would use an electronic part that converts light into electrical signals similar to current modulators which are used to decode the impulses of light back into the electronic form useable by the computer which relies on a series of zero’s and one’s (the basic form of digital data). This would truly be a significant leap for it would allow computers to shrink smaller along with the power requirements. Today’s supercomputers occupy the space of a small room for all the supporting hardware (power supplies, cooling units and other such needed operational parts).