The chip can transmit all the Internet data every second, 1.84 petabits/s

A research team at the Technical University of Denmark has created a microprocessor that can transmit 1.84 petabits per second, equivalent to the entire data traffic on the Internet.

This speed allows 230 million photos to be downloaded at once, an amount of data larger than the entire traffic the Internet system is transmitting every second.

The processor's impressive power is due to the integration of photonics to divide the amount of data into thousands of different transmission channels, then the data is transmitted simultaneously through a 7.9 km long optical fiber cable.

In the experiment, scientists divided the data into 37 parts and sent them into separate optical fiber cores. Each channel was then further divided into 223 data segments located in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

To speed up the transmission speed through the cable, scientists used a 'frequency comb' in the processor. When illuminated by infrared light, the peaks of the frequency comb will be evenly spaced and create a multi-colored spectrum.

Each color represents a different and independent frequency, which is used to memorize data. The data is then reconstructed and transmitted through the fiber optic cable. This allows the colors of the frequency comb to carry a large amount of data at the same time without affecting each other, speeding up the load flow of each core.

The scientists' method allows the transmission of 230 TB/s, equivalent to the entire current Internet traffic per second, over just a cable less than 8 km long, setting a record for the amount of data transmitted with just a single chip.

Previously, researchers had achieved transfer speeds of up to 1332TB/s but had to use a giant device.

The data transmitted in this experiment was twice the current global Internet traffic. Since no computer can currently send or receive such a large amount of data at such a fast rate, the scientists had to transmit fake data. They also confirmed that all the data was sent through a cable less than a square millimeter wide and that there was no loss along the way.

According to experts, it is possible to integrate a continuous laser beam into a microprocessor, making this technology only the size of a matchbox. At that time, this device can transmit 8,251 times more data than devices with the same technology at the present time.

According to Professor Leif Katsuo Oxenløwe, the head of the project, after further development, each chip with a laser can transmit more than 1,000 TB/s.

This technology is the basis for creating other compact microprocessors that allow the transmission of all data around the world to be available everywhere, reducing energy costs and increasing bandwidth.

Marvin Fry

Update 15 January 2025