IBM uses light to build supercomputers-on-a-chip.

The article focuses on the Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator developed by the scientists of IBM. IBM researchers have detailed what they believe is a significant milestone in the quest to send information between multiple cores on a chip using pulses of light through silicon, instead of electrical signals on wires. BM said its modulator is 100 to 1,000 times smaller than previously-demonstrated modulators of its kind, and is expected to eventually allow for complete optical routing networks to be integrated onto a single chip.